Marquis Allen

The City of Petersburg's 2021-2025 Strategic Plan is a roadmap that will direct the City's fulfillment of its vision and goals. The plan focuses on four strategic goals: promoting economic development to attract new businesses and strengthen the City's tax base, supporting community development activities to enhance neighborhoods and improve housing, providing good governance for efficient, effective, and equitable service delivery, productive citizen engagement, and community improvement, and celebrating Petersburg's history and culture.

The Architectural Review Board meeting included discussions and decisions on several requests for Certificates of Appropriateness for properties in historic districts. These included requests related to siding, windows, and shed installations, with some items being deferred for future meetings. The board also discussed administrative approvals for roof replacements and porch repairs, as well as materials for the Appomattox River Trail and the handling of sign requests in historic districts.

The meeting agenda includes discussions on an appeal regarding the Zoning Administrator's decision to sign a Certificate of Occupancy for an assisted living facility, and another appeal concerning the Zoning Administrator's determination letter about the same facility. The appeals focus on whether the proposed assisted living facility at 36 W Fillmore Street is a legal nonconforming use and permitted. The board also discussed the standing of the appellants, the Historical Poplar Lawn Association and Ravenscroft Ventures LLC, to bring the appeals.

The meeting included a timeline review and additional edits regarding the subrecipient application scoring rubric. There was a shift in the Advisory Board Chair's meeting with the City Manager to review recommendations for FY2026 subrecipients. A public notice will be posted regarding a summary of the CDBG Advisory Board's recommendations, the five year CDBG consolidated plan and the year one annual action plan. The CDBG Advisory Board will request to present to City Council in a public hearing on the five year consolidated plan and year one action plan draft of subrecipient recommendations. The board members reviewed the CDBG Application Scoring Rubric and agreed to work with this tool to score received applications.

The meeting included discussions on officer elections, short-term rental regulations, subdivision ordinance updates, and minor sign ordinance updates. The Planning Commission reviewed and discussed potential amendments to the zoning ordinance pertaining to short-term rental uses, including regulations and registration processes. Additionally, the commission discussed updating the subdivision ordinance to align with state code and address existing issues. Proposed changes to the sign ordinance were also discussed, focusing on window signs, flag/sail signs, signs in historic districts, and rules for shopping center signage.