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

DATE: THURSDAY, September 8, 1994                   TAG: 9409080059
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: By KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

PUBLIC HEARING SET ON WAL-MART

Residents will get their first - and possibly last - chance to talk on-the-record about a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter at a public hearing Town Council has scheduled for Oct. 4.

Christiansburg held a public hearing on the rezoning for the project in June, at which more than a dozen people raised concerns. But no one then would confirm that a 200,000-square-foot supercenter was slated for a 27-acre tract on Peppers Ferry Road, across from the New River Valley Mall.

Since that hearing, however, Wal-Mart has filed a site plan for the project, and town officials, developers and engineers have spoken openly about it. Wal-Mart officials in their headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., still will not confirm the supercenter, saying not all permits have been secured.

That could change at October's hearing, when the project could receive council approval, thus clearing its final hurdle. Town officials have identified about 20 minor elements in the site plan for revision, a task project engineers anticipate completing this month.

After the public hearing, council will vote on whether to relinquish its rights to the parts of Bradley, Patton and Marshall drives that run through the Wal-Mart site.

At its meeting Tuesday, council agreed to sell town property to the Virginia Department of Transportation to make room for the expansion of Depot Street. The town will sell three parcels, located at the fire station, at the town shop, and at the corner of Depot and College Streets, for $98,000.

Council reached the decision after an executive session. Council discussed two other matters - a prospective industry and a legal matter - in executive session as well, but voted on neither.

Larry's Homes Inc. received council approval to sell up to 75 mobile homes on the former Moore's Lumber lot on Roanoke Street. The conditional-use permit for the business stipulates that the mobile homes be transported into and out of the lot only on Hubbell Drive, and that 20 percent of the total site be devoted to landscaping.

In other matters, council:

voted to ask VDOT to look into adding a traffic light on North Franklin Street in front of the high school.

agreed to accept a $5,000 grant from the state Department of Forestry for an inventory of town trees.

reappointed all town officers and assigned council members to committees.

by CNB