Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 19, 1990                   TAG: 9004190005
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MARK LAYMAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

EDDY PROPOSES 'GREENWAY' SYSTEM FOR RIVER

Eddy said he's "not an expert on the subject, . . . but maybe I can get something going."

Much of the land along the river in the cities of Roanoke and Salem has been developed. But there still are scenic, undeveloped stretches along the river in the county, he said.

As Eddy envisions it, land along the river could be designated as a "greenway." Construction would be prohibited or restricted in the greenway. Instead, the land would be used for fishing and recreation, with hiking and horseback-riding trails and bicycle paths.

The county could either buy the land or ask the owners to allow it to be used by the public, he said.

The greenway would include land outside the flood plain, where construction already is prohibited, he said.

John Cone, who is on the board of directors of the Citizens Environmental Council of the Roanoke Valley, said the idea of a greenway is "an opportunity for the whole valley to make a really nice attraction both for residents and for visitors. It's well worth the money."

Because so much land along the river in the cities is developed, "the county ought to be looking at . . . enhancing the natural beauty, creating a wildlife habitat and so forth. . . . We would very much support this."