Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 3, 1995 TAG: 9503030132
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 VIRGINIA EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SARAH HUNTLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The session, at the city's downtown library, focused on possible areas of cooperation and mutual concern: open spaces, air pollution, ridge-line preservation and parkway protection.
But no topic was off limits. Even Big Boy made his way into the discussion.
Faced with the prospect of having to re-evaluate the now-controversial sign ordinance, city planning commissioners looked to the county for guidance. The county commissioners and planning staff outlined their sign regulations, emphasizing the need for definitions and specifics.
``I told our committee many times I don't care what you adopt, but make it easy to administer,'' county Planning Director Terry Harrington said, adding that the Big Boy statue atop the new Star City Diner downtown would be considered a sign under Roanoke County's ordinance.
The advice-giving went both ways. The city planners, who have completed a two-year effort to update Roanoke's comprehensive plan, provided tips for the county, which recently began seeking public comment for an update of its plan.
Most of the talk about most of the issues was just that - talk. Nonetheless, the commissioners agreed that's something they should do more often.
``I don't know that the city will survive without the county, and the county without the city,'' county Planning Commission Chairman Kyle Robinson said. ``Any efforts we can make to work together will be advantageous for the valley.''
John Bradshaw, a longtime city planner, pointed out that the differences between the city and the county are dwindling.
``The valley is getting smaller and smaller,'' he said. ``We should talk about common goals, common objectives; and if we could get some common terminology, that'd be really great.''
Though they share similar functions, the two commissions have not met since 1988, the city's chief of planning, John Marlles, said - but that meeting provided the impetus for the Roanoke River Corridor Study.
The commissioners at Thursday's meeting agreed to plan an annual gathering, probably in November, a few months before they begin setting priorities and programs for the following year.
by CNB