Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 15, 1995 TAG: 9502150052
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: STEPHEN FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Long
Before a joint meeting of the town's Planning Commission and a committee of Montgomery County's commission, town planner Duane Hyde spoke on the pros, cons and impacts of the 300-acre community.
Floyd County developers William Farr and Joseph Edone hold options on the land that straddles the Montgomery County-Blacksburg line and hope to have it rezoned for development of one huge complex instead of designating smaller parcels for commercial, single-family, multi-family and other specific purposes.
With a complex of houses, town homes, apartments and commercial outlets proposed, the two planning commissions have decided to work together on rezoning and other issues in the proposal.
Monday afternoon, the commission members walked the rolling hills near Mount Tabor Road where the community is to be built, then returned to town for a briefing from Blacksburg's planning staff.
Some of the issues outlined by Hyde, a former member of the county's planning staff and now a senior planner with Blacksburg, included:
Traffic from the community would push the capacities of Harding Avenue and Main Street - the east and west borderlines of the community - almost to their limits;
There are concerns about whether another developer, for example the Marriott, which owns retirement communities in other areas, might take over certain parts of the overall project;
It is unclear whether commercial areas would be developed at the same rate as residential areas, and no guarantee exists that a recreation center, scheduled to be built during the third phase of building, would actually be built if construction stopped.
Water and sewer systems could be adequately designed to accommodate the community, but the planning staff thinks the developers should share the cost of installing a new water tank that would improve water storage capabilities.
Hyde said the staff thought a few buildings may have to be set back from roads a few feet to meet requirements, that buildings' heights could and should be limited to 45 feet, and that more tennis courts or other recreational accommodations should be provided than the two courts, swimming pool and gym already penciled in.
Hyde said the staff supports the concept of a commercial village of sorts along Main Street instead of a strip mall that could legally be built there now.
Law enforcement crews have said there would be no problem in responding to buildings that stand on the boundary line between town and county, but that crews were concerned about being able to turn their vehicles around in some access roads whose design does not show cul-de-sacs at their ends.
In conclusion, Hyde's report stated:
"The staff believes that the rezoning application ... is an opportunity for the town to obtain greater input and control over the character and quality of this development that is not possible if the site is developed on a piecemeal basis under existing zoning. Believing that Blacksburg should strive for the highest quality development and support the ever increasing demands for retirement housing," the staff supported the concept and recommended approval if its suggestions are implemented.
Tuesday, architect Bob Rogers, who is helping design the community, said the developers have agreed to limit buildings' height to 45 feet, are considering eliminating the only five-story building slated for the project, and have rearranged several homes to suit residents' and the planning staff's concerns. Other suggestions are being reviewed, and the developers are awaiting a report expected this week from the county's planning staff.
The developers have held a series of public meetings on the proposal, and have adjusted many of their plans. However, Rogers, of Blacksburg-based Architectural Alternatives Inc., said developers have done just about all they can to accommodate outside demands.
"I think we're about at that point," Rogers said. "We have done a lot of twisting and turning and changing buildings around."
He expressed some frustration at what he said was having a project designed to protect and improve the greater community and, "it's still being perceived as this gigantic encroachment.
"I'm not sure how one ever gets through those kind of concerns," Rogers said.
Despite the developers' open-door approach, many area residents continue to be concerned about the community's impact and wonder what guarantees they have that construction plans won't change.
"The word 'impact' is just a few letters long but it's multi-faceted," said Marshall Frank, a Blacksburg lawyer speaking for a group of residents. "We're talking about everything from environmental to financial." He questioned whether the developers would be able financially to carry the project through to fruition, and worried that local taxpayers may "pay the price" in the long run.
"We're committing ourselves to a development that we may not be able to withstand the impact of," Frank said.
The two commissions plan to hold joint public hearings next month before sending the rezoning requests to the Town Council and the Board of Supervisors.
Memo: ***CORRECTION***