ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, October 9, 1996 TAG: 9610090034
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
Even for worthy causes, the Roanoke Valley Council of Garden Clubs cannot rent its headquarters in a South Roanoke neighborhood for fund-raisers, the city Board of Zoning Appeals ruled Tuesday.
Bowing to neighbors' concerns about potential traffic and noise, the board denied a request for a special exception to the club's zoning that would have permitted fund-raisers for libraries, museums and "similar uses."
But the board's 4-0 vote places the Roanoke Valley History Museum in a fix: It may have to cancel a planned fund-raiser or find another place in which to hold it.
The museum has a contract with the council to hold a 100-person candlelight Colonial dinner Dec. 14 at the council's headquarters, a two-acre property known as Fairacres on Avenham Avenue at 27th Street.
It also has contracted with musicians and caterers for the event, said Richard Loveland, the history museum's executive director.
"I don't know what we'll do," Loveland said after the board's ruling. "We might just have to scratch this fund-raising event. At this point, I think it's going to be tough to find another location."
The board vote came after nine neighbors of Fairacres spoke against the proposal. Some recited complaints about loud music and drunken driving during and after wedding receptions held at the property years ago.
One neighbor said she feared the board's approval would lead to "party central" on the stately property, while another predicted the council's low rental fees would turn the facility into a "neighborhood bar."
Mary Lou Delaney, the garden club council president, promised there would be no more wedding receptions or parties on the property.
But the board seemed concerned about setting a precedent even if its approval was limited to a single event.
"We're concerned not about this one event, which seems pretty benign, but what this may open us up to," Chairman Robert Copty said.
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