Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 23, 1993 TAG: 9302230289
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
GAINSBORO RENEWAL PLAN TO BE UPDATED
Roanoke plans to revise the Gainsboro neighborhood redevelopment plan so it will comply with the proposed renovation of the Hotel Roanoke and construction of a conference center.Neva Smith, executive director of the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority, said Monday the Gainsboro plan needs to be updated so there will be no conflict with the hotel or other development in the neighborhood.
The plan is a required document because federal funds have been used in the Gainsboro community. It deals with land use, zoning and other development restrictions.
No one appeared at a public hearing Monday to oppose the revisions. After the authority's board of commissioners approves the document, it will be forwarded to City Council for a final decision.
Besides revising the Gainsboro plan, the authority has offered to help with the hotel project in other ways.
But the agency has been asked to do only one thing so far on the $40 million project - administer a $6 million federal loan that the city will make for the proposal.
"We are willing to entertain any request if we can help," said Rob Glenn, chairman of the authority's board.
The authority's help apparently won't be needed to finance the project because the funding package is complete.
The city will provide $12.8 million in bonds to pay for the conference center and make the $6 million federal loan. The city also will pay $3 million for five acres around the hotel that will be used for parking.
Although city governments cannot invest in commercial projects such as the hotel, housing authorities in some Virginia cities have helped with downtown hotel projects.