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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 28, 1993                   TAG: 9304280086
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GEORGE KEGLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

VEC SEEKING A HOME ROANOKE PROJECT NEEDS A BUILDER

The Virginia Employment Commission wants new Roanoke offices for its job-service and unemployment-benefits programs and is seeking a builder to construct the $1.2 million project.

The proposed building, which would contain about 17,000 square feet, is planned for the northern section of the city, the state agency said Tuesday.

The VEC has advertised for a proposal to construct and lease the building for 10 years with an option to buy it.

A need for more parking than is available at the present Franklin Road location is the main reason for the move, VEC officials said.

The agency expects to move by next March to a site it has not yet chosen, said John Streat, VEC real estate and facilities coordinator in Richmond. The area designated is bounded by Peters Creek Road, Interstate 581, Oakland Boulevard and Williamson Road. The VEC considers this is a growth area with good access, Streat said. The exact site will be based on bids, to be submitted to the VEC by May 26.

Streat said the VEC normally favors brick and frame buildings, but "we will evaluate and make a decision when the bids come in." The agency wants to be the sole tenant in a one-story, free-standing structure.

The new building must have a minimum of 163 parking spaces, the agency said. The Franklin Road office, used by the VEC since 1971, has less than 100 parking spaces and no room for staff parking, said Marjorie Skidmore, job service manager in Roanoke. The Roanoke office has a staff of 52, some of whom work part-time.

The new structure is to have about 13,700 square feet of office space, plus circulation area. It will accommodate 61 employees eventually, Streat said. The Franklin Road building has about 11,000 square feet of usable space. The VEC will offer it for sale, he said.

Statewide, the VEC has more than 50 buildings containing about 500,000 square feet of space. The agency owns only a few buildings, "but we'd like to own them because it's cheaper than renting," he said.

The agency has four buildings in Richmond, four in Northern Virginia and six in the Tidewater area.

by CNB