Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 8, 1990 TAG: 9005080495
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Cathryn McCue
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Yes, say some people - mostly those who live outside town.
Blacksburg residents themselves have traditionally balked at the notion, but this year's town survey shows they are growing increasingly protective of their lifestyle here. The feeling is perhaps fueled by the growing clamor across the New River Valley for economic development.
In Blacksburg's annual citizen survey, 45 percent of the residents who responded said they'd like to see the town remain at its present size, compared with 35 percent of last year's respondents. Also, fewer people this year said they wanted to see the town grow - even at its present rate.
To some degree, the town's politics and people do seem to reflect a certain superiority, an element of exclusiveness.
All the master's degrees and doctorates in town could probably - with a little wallpaper paste - decorate the rooms of a larger-than-average house.
Council members and town officials are not shy about the fact that Blacksburg's development standards are stricter than those in surrounding jurisdictions.
Civic pride shows through in a big way with an average of $18,000 a year spent on landscaping streets and other public places.
Housing prices are higher in Blacksburg than in Montgomery County and Christiansburg, reflecting a generally higher per-capita income (excluding struggling students).
Campaign efforts by members of the Federation of Neighborhood Associations - whose purpose is to protect neighborhood interests - cinched last week's re-election of three Town Council members.
Federation member Warren Stutzman says homeowner opposition to street projects or subdivision proposals"is often construed to be a negative thing and in a sense an elitism thing." But such opposition can block random development that leads to chaos, he says.
While town officials and most residents shun charges of "elitism," they often refer to Blacksburg as "a special place" - which happens to be the town's motto.
The description is not without merit.
"I think in general, both within the state and without the state, people perceive Blacksburg as a very progressive and modern community," says James Campbell, director of intergovernmental affairs with the Virginia Municipal League.
In the Blacksburg survey, citizens generally gave rave reviews to the town's policies, services and appearance.
Ninety-six percent said landscaping helped make Blacksburg a more pleasant place to live and work. No less than 60 percent of the citizens gave "good" or "excellent" ratings on such things as police protection, fire and rescue, parks and recreation.
Much of that satisfaction, says Campbell, probably stems from the high level of citizen involvement in government, as well as the influence of Virginia Tech.
"In my mind, that is a fact of the pleasure people have living in the town of Blacksburg, the sophisticated level [of participation] because of the type of people," he says.
Citizen volunteers serve on nearly all the town's 36 committees, ranging in scope from transportation issues to bikeways to the newly formed municipal complex design competition advisory committee.
The roughly 200 citizens participating in town government slightly surpass the 192 full-time town employees.
Localities have, of course, the right to control their growth. How that control is characterized seems to depend on which side of the moat you're coming from.
by CNB