ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, September 8, 1996 TAG: 9609100020
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN FREI
SHOULD the city of Roanoke find appropriate use for the properties, as I understand it, Norfolk Southern has indicated it will consider making an "all in one package" gift of the two vacant Norfolk & Western office buildings just north of the railroad tracks from downtown, as well as some ancillary properties in that immediate area and the old passenger station.
A study is under way for use of Office Building North as a higher-education center to house a number of institutions offering bachelor and graduate degrees right here in Roanoke. This study is being administered by Virginia Western Community College and funded by $200,000 obtained from the General Assembly by state Sen. John Edwards. I completely support this idea, and am hopeful that the building can be used for that purpose. I do not think the positive economic development impact of such a facility in downtown Roanoke can be overstated.
If - and that's an all-important word - Office Building North's use as a higher-education center is doable and we proceed with the project, a comprehensive land-use plan for that entire area, including Henry Street, seems appropriate. I have a number of suggestions for those blocks of real estate to put forth for public consideration.
There have been several good ideas concerning the passenger station just south of Hotel Roanoke. One is to locate the Visitors and Convention Bureau there, along with either a model-train museum or other such exhibit space as might be used by the Virginia Museum of Transportation or the Roanoke Valley Historical Society and Museum. This idea makes sense.
At present, no dedicated use is planned for Office Building South. A recent systemwide study of library facilities in the city suggested that our current main library needs to be twice as big; one option is to build a new one, projected to cost around $24 million not including site acquisition. Doing nothing regarding the main library is likely to be our most viable option in the next 10 to 15 years, because that level of public commitment may be out of reach considering other pressing needs that confront the city.
There is, however, another option. Locate the main branch of the Roanoke Public Library in Office Building South, next to the higher-education center. Renovation and adaptive reuse of that structure for our main-branch public library would put it in usable proximity to both the Conference Center of Roanoke and the higher-education center. The library could share technologies with them and other academic institutions wired into the higher-education center.
Architecturally and geographically, Office Building South would make an impressive public-library facility. I encourage you to drive by that location with the thought in mind and picture it for yourself. As I see it, the front door of the library could face North Jefferson Street and the conference center, and entrances could also be located on Center Avenue, between the two office buildings, on Shenandoah, and from a parking deck that would be built behind the facility. A simple reopening of the pedestrian walkway under the railroad tracks at Jefferson Street would facilitate access from downtown foot traffic, and the connecting walkway between Office Building North (the higher-education center) and Office Building South (the library) could remain.
As for the existing library in Elmwood Park, the city is now looking at needs for additional space for various departments of city government. There they would have that space, eliminating the need for new construction and land acquisition.
Regarding Henry Street, long-term viability is the key to commercial development. Many neighbors agree that a mix of residential and commercial use would be appropriate. On both sides of Henry Street, three-story row-houses, whether condos or apartments or both, could be constructed in a style consistent with our architectural history. These buildings would have residences on the top two floors and commercial spaces on the ground level.
In this way, there would be a viable land-use mix supported not only by a residential population and activities of the education center, main library and the Social Security Administration offices that are moving into the old Stone Printing building, but also from tourist traffic coming over the bridge from downtown and from the hotel and conference center. Henry Street would then be developed naturally by people interested in investing there. The city's and housing authority's tasks would be to create the facilities, infrastructure and atmosphere for success.
We must look at this entire area, not just Henry Street alone, as a component part of our downtown - as an extension of the downtown environment north of the tracks. We need to prepare for the potential success of the higher-education center, and if that facility looks like it's going to become a reality, a "whole-area" plan should be developed and put into action. The Social Security Administration may be able to share in the costs of a parking facility that would also be utilized by the higher education center. The anticipated costs of new space for city departments could be downsized with reuse by the city of the current library building.
Economic activity generated by a viable residential and commercial environment on Henry Street, the higher-education center, library and an increased downtown daily population, not to mention the potential for increased interest in downtown housing, would support such an investment of public resources. We would have an opportunity to create one of the best public-library facilities in the commonwealth.
Dan Frei is a political and public-relations consultant in Roanoke.
LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Schematic by DAN FREIby CNB