Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 15, 1994 TAG: 9410170061
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAN VERTEFEUILLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The county plans to hire a design team to come up with a master plan for the area around Hollins College to improve both "the visual image and economic character of the corridor." Items to be looked at include parking-lot treatments, building facades, landscaping and business signs.
The design team, which has not been chosen, will work closely with the community to come up with guidelines for improvements to the area from Peters Creek Road to the Botetourt County line.
The county hopes to improve the Hollins area through voluntary compliance by businesses and through financial incentives offered to property owners who comply, Planning Director Terry Harrington said.
"I do believe there is enough consensus out there that would like to create a cohesive image for the Hollins area," he said. "We want to get new businesses to participate in that sense of identity."
The Board of Supervisors approved spending up to $20,000 for a design team.
Some of the county's most significant industry is located in the Hollins area, as is Hollins College. The plan is being created to tie in with road improvements being made by the Virginia Department of Transportation near Hollins.
The main entrance to the college will be moved about 30 yards to line up with a traffic signal, making it easier to get on campus. The main gates must come down to make way for the four-laning of Williamson, and Hollins has hired its own landscape architect to come up with a design for the new entrance.
"I think this is a great opportunity to work with business owners to come up with a new landscape design" for the whole corridor, school spokeswoman Linda Steele said. "That area, with the construction started, has a tremendous opportunity for improvement."
Hollins College had asked the county to look at improvements along Williamson, which led to the master plan, Harrington said.
Mike Bailey, of Bailey Insurance Agency, said business owners are excited about the plan.
"We do need a new image in Northwest County," he said.
Harrington said the staff is researching ways to fund incentives for business owners who follow the master plan's voluntary guidelines, possibly from federal highway funds, creation of a special assessment district or other taxing methods.
The county will follow through on the plan, Harrington said.
"We don't want to approach this as, `Oh, we're doing a master plan, let's put it on the shelf and hope something happens,''' he said.
The Williamson Road Area Business Association applauds the county's efforts.
"I think we all recognize strip development is not always easy to manage," said Executive Director Roger Dalton. He said communities that have begun focusing on aesthetics, as Roanoke County is, are in the minority.
His group has done some beautification along Williamson Road in Roanoke, thanks to a special service district the city created. The city charges additional property taxes in the district, with the money going to the Williamson Road Area Business Association to foster economic development.
The association, with a $67,000 annual budget, has put up welcome signs, bought trash cans, done landscaping, and created a business development fund that gives grants to owners planning improvements.
With the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center opening next year, more traffic will funnel through Williamson Road from the airport to downtown. It will be the first impression some people get of Roanoke.
by CNB