Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, December 9, 1994 TAG: 9412100017
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-17 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Such decisions are not unusual. What is unique in this case is how council rejected it.
It died on the vine when no one seconded Wayne Booth's motion to approve it. Mayor Harold Linkous asked twice if any would. No one spoke up.
After the meeting, council members and Town Manager John Lemley, on the job since 1956, agreed they could not remember such a thing happening before.
The request was made more notable by the fact the Via is a council member himself and chairman of the planning commission.
He left his seat at the council table and joined the audience during the public hearing on the request, and when the commission talked about it, he left the room.
The commission recommended approval, but added that fencing around the site, which is near Christiansburg High School, would be a good idea.
Still, the council members did not like the notion of a residential area so close to a school and so close to industrial businesses.
Nearby are Blue Ridge Disposal, a firm the compacts wrecked cars, and Eastern Repair and Fabrication, a company that rebuilds machine tools, and has welding and machine shops.
Roger Polidoro, owner of Eastern, told council that his plant makes a lot of noise a lot of the time.
"I don't feel like I would be a good residential neighbor," he said.
Blue Ridge Disposal owner Paul Curtis said the same thing.
"It wasn't really an appropriate use of that land," said council member Truman Daniel.
Council member Ray "Eddie" Lester said he was against the idea because the land is close to the high school and because he wants to preserve land for industrial development in the town.
Via was out of town Thursday and could not be reached.
by CNB