
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, April 23, 1995                   TAG: 9504240011
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: WALDON KERNS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

PLANNING WILL HELP PRESERVE TOMS CREEK BASIN

The Toms Creek Basin is a unique natural area in Blacksburg and measures must be taken to ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy its beauty.

Current zoning allows the area to be blanketed in 1-acre lots. Unless these zoning regulations are changed, developments will occur in the traditional suburban pattern, carving up the land into 1-acre lots and resulting in the loss of the largest open, rural area within the town.

It is inevitable that the Toms Creek Basin will see development of some sort. It is up to the community to plan ahead and decide what type of development is preferred and to modify land-use regulations to ensure the preferred pattern.

Citizen involvement is the key to ensuring that the Toms Creek Basin develops in a fashion consistent with the community vision for the area. A citizen survey and a series of public meetings last year determined preferences for the area's future. The consensus from these meetings was to modify the zoning regulations to allow development that takes advantage of open space and rural character in a pattern that maintains the integrity of the natural landscape. A town committee has used this public input and worked to develop zoning standards to achieve this vision.

There are further opportunities for citizen input in development of the basin.

A community meeting will be held Monday from 7-9 p.m. in the Blacksburg Community Center on Patrick Henry Drive. At this meeting, citizens will review the community vision for the Toms Creek Basin and the draft zoning standards that will help achieve this vision. Citizens are also invited to provide comments and suggestions to improve the vision and draft zoning standards.

We would like to thank the community for all of the input that has been received so far and emphasize the importance of continued community involvement. Anyone interested in the future of the Toms Creek Basin is strongly encouraged to attend.

\ For more information please contact the town Planning and Engineering Department at 961-1114 or email town.plan.eng.lrbev.net.

\ Waldon Kerns is a member of the Blacksburg Town Council and chairman of the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Steering Committee.

by CNB