Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 16, 1990 TAG: 9003162789
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: By JOEL TURNER MUNICIPAL WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The cattle will keep grazing on a farm that Roanoke acquired last fall for the expansion of its industrial park off U.S. 460 near the city's eastern border.
City Council has agreed to lease 115 acres of the farm to Wade Douthat, the former owner, for pasture and a hay field until the property is needed for industrial development.
Douthat will pay a rental fee of $20 an acre per year for using the land that adjoins the 300-acre Roanoke Centre for Industry and Technology.
City officials said the market rate for rental of land for cattle grazing in the Roanoke area is $15 to $20 an acre.
The city paid $2.7 million to Douthat for the 142-acre farm, but it is leasing only 115 acres to him. The city expects to spend another $3.1 million on roads, storm drains, sewer and waterlines and other site improvements so the land can be used for industrial development.
City Manager Robert Herbert said it may take several months to finish the engineering analysis of the property and complete the plans for expanding the industrial park. In the meantime, he said, the property can be leased to Douthat.
Douthat is in the process of buying another piece of land for grazing his cattle, according to his attorney, Al Prillaman, but he needs to clear it.
The city will have the right to terminate the lease with Douthat with a 30-day written notice if it needs the land for industrial development.
Douthat will have to pay for maintenance of the fences and keep all vegetation cropped to a height of no more than 12 inches. He also will be required to have public liability insurance to provide protection for the city.
Leasing the land to Douthat will provide income for the city and help keep the vegetation cropped, Prillaman said.
The city also has agreed to rent a house and a cabin on the farm to Douthat for five months at a monthly fee of $1,000. He will have to pay the cost for all utilities and maintenance.
Douthat has a contract to buy another house, but can't move in until August.
Nearly 1,300 jobs have been created in the Centre for Industry and Technology since it opened seven years ago. Only one vacant site remains in the industrial park.
by CNB