Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 27, 1990 TAG: 9003272462
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PETER MATHEWS NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The county will use the land for offices and parking. The area is bounded by the county courthouse, First Street, Pepper Street and Main Street and includes a number of established businesses.
The vote was 4-1. Supervisor Joe Stewart voted against the purchase, saying the price was too high. Todd Solberg and Henry Jablonski were absent.
The businesses with storefronts on Main Street include Angle's Supermarket, Angle Florist, several clothing stores, three law offices, a barber shop and a beauty salon.
The purchase is another indication that downtown Christiansburg, once a retail hub for the county, is fast becoming a government center instead.
In January, the town of Christiansburg paid $320,000 for three buildings across Main Street from the county's new land. The town intends to raze them and use the space for parking and a possible expansion of Town Hall.
County Administrator Betty Thomas said a space study conducted about two years ago showed the county needed two major buildings - one for the county administration and another for health and social services.
The Main Street merchants will have about three months to find another location. Closing is scheduled for July 1.
The county likely would convert some of the existing buildings into offices, Thomas said. The purchase also will provide 96 needed parking spaces. Much of the First Street side of the tract is a parking lot for the supermarket.
Thomas said the purchase was a natural because the tract adjoins the courthouse.
The sellers are Jack W. Trump, James W. Page, Charles W. Page, Charles Frank Page Jr. and Fred A. Graham. They already have signed contracts and expect to receive a deposit from the county today, County Attorney Roy Thorpe told the board.
The supervisors transferred $113,947 from a variety of other accounts for a first payment.
Rodney Crowgey, the attorney for the sellers, was unavailable for comment. Crowgey's law office is in the block included in the sale.
On another matter, the supervisors asked the county School Board to find a solution to space problems at Shawsville Elementary School.
Stewart said growth at a mobile home park near the school has created a severe space shortage in the past year. He said a short-term solution, such as mobile classrooms, would be acceptable.
Supervisor Ira Long, who supported Stewart's request, said construction of a new school in Christiansburg would help the problem because school boundaries would be redrawn.
by CNB