City Council preview: downtown rezoning, courthouse, birds and bees

The City Council will have work session at 5:30 p.m. to discuss two major aspects of the courthouse project: what to do with the General District Court building and life-cycle aspects of the project.

In the 7:30 meeting, there are several important items in front of the Council tonight: (Here is the full agenda)

• David Melton, superintendent of city schools will speak to the Council
• Charles McDaniel will make a presentation about dredging the Rappahannock River
• There are three public hearings related to rezoning downtown. They are: changing several properties from commercial-transitional to commercial-downtown, expanding the downtown parking district  , and expanding the boundaries of the railroad overlay district
• There are five public hearings related to zoning permits for the construction of the new courthouse.
• The permits are for:

  -A special-use permit to construct the new building in the historic district.

  -A special-use permit to put a new motor vehicle curb cut for access to the basement.

  -A special-exception to use existing off-site parking resources instead of providing parking on-site.

  -A special-exception to the  floor-area-ratio of 3.5, instead of the maximum of 3.0 in the commercial-downtown district.

  -A special exception for the amount of usable floor area permitted in the  building  and the area of the lot on which the building stands.

  -A special exception to construct the new building at 57 feet, instead of the maximum of 50 feet in the commercial-downtown district.

• Second reading of ordinance allowing the raising of chickens and honeybees
• Second reading of ordinance setting permanent rules for campaign signs on public property

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