The Shadow
Covington City Council is taking baby steps toward amending the city’s zoning ordinance.
At Tuesday night’s regular January work session, council discussed a zoning amendment that would only affect properties that are zoned R-1.
This baby step comes after council has tabled a broader zoning ordinance at least three times in the past.
“I can go with this,” said Covington Vice Mayor Buddy Brown. “If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. But I can support R-1 at this time.”
Council has been considering sweeping changes to the city’s zoning ordinance in an effort to fight blight in Covington.
The larger ordinance has been tabled in the past after some council members expressed concerns over language in the ordinance.
The ordinance, among other issues, focuses on parking restrictions and setback limits in R-1 zones. The Covington Planning Commission will revisit the ordinance for R-2 and R-3 zoning in the near future.
“If we’re ever going to clean up blight in this city, we’d better start applying it to R-1, 2 and 3,” said Councilman Bill Zimmerman. “I want a strict code. Our main mission was to fight blight.”
Council placed the zoning ordinance on the agenda for the regular called meeting on Jan. 10.
In other business Tuesday, council heard a report from Dr. Shawn Veltman, of Olver Engineering, concerning the sewer bond issuance, sewer projects and sidewalk projects.
Veltman, who is serving as the lead on the $7.5 million inflow and infiltration project, as well as other infrastructure projects within the city, answered council’s questions about funding the project.
“No, the financing we structured is not dependent on a multi-family rate structure change,” he said.
In November, council approved the I&I project in an effort to separate stormwater lines from sewer lines within the city limits.
Council is working proactively to avoid a costly consent order from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality that would likely include a large fine in addition to the cost of the project.
Veltman has projected that it would cost roughly $12 million to fix every I&I problem within the city. The $7.5 million project that was approved by council is expected to be enough to bring the city into compliance with the DEQ, while the remaining issues will be addressed as funding and resources become available.
At last month’s regular meeting, citizens and council members raised concerns over projected water and sewer rate increases and how the debt incurred by issuing the revenue bonds would be paid off.
Veltman answered some of those questions last night.
“For five years, we project no rate increase. The numbers are tight,” he said. “The rates that the city have set right now are sufficient to cover the cost, without rate increase, through the year 2016-2017.”
The future rate increase will be necessitated by a gradual increase in operating costs over the next five years that will leave a $137,751 deficit at the end of 2017.
“To pick up that $137,000 in 2018, that’s about a 5 percent rate increase that’s required to pick that up,” Veltman said.
Council is presently entertaining ways to avoid a 5 percent hike in 2018, one of which is restructuring the way the city charges multi-family units.
A single-family dwelling is charged $66 for water and sewer services in the city, while multi-family dwellings are not charged for individual apartment units.
Charging multi-family dwellings the same rate as single family-dwellings would generate an additional $75,000 in water and sewer fees.
Council sent out inquiries through the Virginia Municipal League last year to see how other localities are handling the issue and, to date, have received 17 replies.
“We’re still processing that raw data,” said Zimmerman.
Council has yet to make a decision on the matter.
In addition to the water and sewer presentation, council also briefly discussed a letter from the officers of Edgemont Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church expressing their displeasure with the future location of an adult novelty store.
Council held first reading of an ordinance in December that would prohibit any “adult use” businesses from being established within 750 of any residentially zoned property, any church or other place of worship, child day care and public park or playground.
According to Covington Commissioner of the Revenue Kathy Kimberlin, a business licensed was issued on Nov. 15 by the city to C.B. Nelson Jr., doing business as “A Kiss Goodnight” at 717A W. Edgemont Drive.
The building, which formerly housed a Laundromat, is located two blocks away from Edgemont ARP, which is also home to Edgemont Nursery School, and across the street from the Jackson River Sport Complex, though the complex is situated well below the road along the Jackson River.
Since the license was picked up prior to council enacting the ordinance, “A Kiss Goodnight” will be grandfathered in when the ordinance is read into law at next Tuesday’s meeting.
The January work session also marked the first meeting for Bill Ed Cannon, Covington’s new city manager.
Council is planning a reception for Cannon Tuesday at 6 p.m. prior to the regular December called meeting.
