Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 5, 1995 TAG: 9504050078
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
And because of that, future visitors to the Blue Ridge Parkway will see - or barely see, actually - a carefully designed cluster of new homes that blend in with the landscape of rural Roanoke County.
In a rare public appearance, Boone discussed his development plans on a local public radio talk show Tuesday night along with several others: Gary Johnson, the National Park Service's chief planner for the scenic highway; Jim Olin, former congressman and co-chairman of a parkway preservation group; and Carlton Abbott, Williamsburg architect and son of one of the key designers of the parkway.
"Carlton helped me see the light once or twice," Boone said. "It's been quite a process going from one end to the other."
At a public meeting tonight, after years of conflict and a few final months of heady negotiating, the group will unveil preliminary sketches showing how Boone's 260-acre site can be developed in harmony with the natural environment and rural setting.
A possible site plan for another parcel farther north on the parkway, belonging to Steve Musselwhite, also shows how building homes close together and from natural-looking material and leaving open space will help maintain the views along the parkway.
Musselwhite emphasized that at this point, nothing is set in concrete. A lot of details still must be worked out, including the cost to develop, he said, but he plans to submit a rezoning application to the county this summer.
Everyone involved, from the developers to county officials to the residents who criticized Boone's initial development plans, praised the results. Describing themselves as partners, they hope the process, and the final projects, will be used by other localities along the 470-mile linear park as an example of how to mitigate the pressure of urban sprawl.
"Those two men deserve a medal," said Lynn Davis of Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway, speaking of Olin and Roanoke County Administrator Elmer Hodge, who also has taken a lead role in bringing all the parties to the table.
As for Boone, Davis said: "Lots of accolades."
Boone said during the radio program that he felt "cast as a villain" when he first came forward with plans to develop one of the last open views along the parkway's route through Roanoke County.
The firestorm of public opposition forced those involved - the park service, the county and preservationists - to reconcile their differences.
Olin orchestrated a three-day workshop in January in which the parties came up with an initial agreement and ideas.
"At no time did we dictate to Mr. Boone what he could or could not do," Johnson said. People were free to get up and leave, but no one did. And they found much more common ground than they thought they would, he said.
The mutual goal is to accommodate growth along the parkway while keeping intact the parkway's foremost resource: the views. Abbott, who has worked on numerous plans for private development around public lands, says adhering to certain architectural details - roof slopes, curved driveways, stone instead of brick fireplaces, brown or dark-green wood siding instead of white vinyl siding, and indigenous plants for landscaping - will help developments blend in.
As for the Boone and Musselwhite developments, some form of agreement will take place among the park service, county and developers. The park service will give its blessing to their final plans before granting easements to cross the road with sewer lines. The county also must approve rezoning and site plans, and the developers will agree to follow certain design and architectural guidelines.
by CNB