ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, October 14, 1996 TAG: 9610140095
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRISTINA NUCKOLS STAFF WRITER
VINTON BOUGHT the tract just beyond its border a decade ago to prevent any use it disliked, but only now is deciding how to make money with it.
When Vinton officials purchased the McDonald farm 10 years ago, all they knew for certain was that they did not want a trailer park just outside the town limits.
That's about where they stand today, but now it's time to make a decision.
The 100 acres of rolling pasture on Hardy Road form the largest tract with development potential in East County. The tract is in Roanoke County, but close enough to have a direct impact on the town. That's why the town bought it a decade ago for $500,000.
"We were told that someone was interested in putting a trailer park on the property," Vinton Mayor Charles Hill recalled. "We felt it would be better for us to buy it. I guess it was a defensive measure."
Hill said town officials had no specific plans in mind when they bought the land, but it was soon being treated as part of Explore Park. As plans for the park were scaled back, it became clear that another use would have to be found for the property. The site has been used for Civil War re-enactments and the Blue Ridge Highlands Festival, but the only stable occupants have been a herd of cows that graze under a lease agreement.
In the meantime, Vinton has been steadily running out of room to grow. The town identified 70 acres of developable residential land in an inventory last year, and most of that has been used by now.
"We're just about down to zero," Town Manager Clayton Goodman said.
Town officials have been considering annexation to expand their revenue base. County officials have suggested that the McDonald farm could serve as an alternative money-maker, but Hill said he views the two issues as separate. Either way, some East County residents believe the town eventually will annex the McDonald farm and surrounding subdivisions.
The one thing everyone appears to agree on is that something must be done with the land.
"The McDonald farm has just been sitting there for about 10 years, and when it's developable, you can't just let it keep sitting," Vinton Supervisor Harry Nickens said. "Obviously, the cows don't do much for the town."
Terry Harrington, the county's director of planning and zoning, said the only limitation being placed on the design, which will come out of community meetings this week, is that it be realistic.
"I don't think anybody wants to do a pie-in-the-sky plan that there's no market for," he said.
One option is to construct a residential development. The tract is already zoned R-1 residential, which would allow 400 to 500 houses on the site. However, that could have a negative effect on local schools. W.E. Cundiff Elementary has 526 children and not much extra room. The school has stopped taking Bedford County students because of space limitations. William Byrd Middle School also is at capacity, and William Byrd High School is using five mobile classrooms while a 22-room addition is constructed. Its 1,050 enrollment is projected to rise to 1,150 in the next five years.
Because the Blue Ridge Parkway curves around the McDonald farm, some view it a prime site for tourism. The parcel was considered for a visitor center, but that's no longer a possibility now that one is being planned nearby at Explore Park.
Gary Johnson, chief of the division of resource planning for the National Park Service, said efforts are under way to reduce the number of access points onto the parkway, not add more. Harrington said there is a demand for more lodging facilities like those available at the Peaks of Otter, but Johnson said there are plenty of hotels in the Roanoke Valley.
Al Hammond - who is opening a retreat center for corporate conferences and fly-fishing and sport-shooting schools across the parkway from the McDonald farm - hopes it will be developed to complement the parkway.
"I would hate to see it used for houses," he said.
Hammond said lodging facilities would probably have to be built before getting access from the parkway, but he said direct access wouldn't be critical to the development's success.
Johnson said he plans to attend this week's meetings, but he said the parkway is "fairly well buffered because of trees.'' Harrington said he does not expect any serious concerns about the visual impact on the parkway from developing the McDonald farm.
"Except for one knoll, most of it is pretty sheltered from the parkway," he said. "No matter which way you travel the parkway, there's only one fleeting glimpse of this property."
There also is the potential for a more traditional business use of the McDonald farm, although Harrington said it is too far from an interstate to be viable for heavy industrial use, such as a trucking company or warehouse distribution center.
"I think any heavy industrial use would be ruled out," Hill agreed.
That still leaves open the possibility of some type of business park or a large regional office center.
Harrington said the final decision could be a mix, with residential uses forming a buffer between the adjacent Montgomery Village subdivision and a commercial structure.
What do neighboring residents want? John Nelon, a resident of Montgomery Village, said he's not sure, but he definitely does not want an industrial park or low-income housing. F.W. Finney, who developed Montgomery Village and also lives there, said he'd like to see a business on the site.
It's likely that many of the comments made this week by residents will revolve around Hardy Road.
Vinton is planning to widen the road within the town limits to four lanes. Work is scheduled to begin next year. At the same time, Bedford County is widening the shoulders of the road from its end. But Roanoke County has no plans to improve its section of Hardy Road, which runs directly in front of the McDonald farm.
Residents fear a new development will only exacerbate an existing traffic problem, and there already are town houses and condominiums going up in the area. Traffic often backs up in front of the solitary road leading in and out of Montgomery Village, raising concerns about whether emergency vehicles could get in when needed.
"Hardy Road is already heavily congested," Nelon said. "We don't need more traffic. What we need is a new road."
There are three roads in the subdivision that end at the property line for the McDonald farm. Nelon would like to see at least one extended through the farm to provide another access to Hardy Road. County officials believe there may be other Montgomery Village residents who want their subdivision kept completely separate from any new development, however.
As for Hardy Road itself, Nickens said the McDonald farm development is likely to make it a greater priority for improvements in the county.
"Any development there other than the cows grazing is going to increase traffic," he said.
The ideas that come out of this week's meetings will be developed into final designs by the end of November. While those plans are being drawn up, county and town officials will begin talking about their roles in the future development. Both sides say they view the project as a partnership, but so far the town has spent the bulk of the money. Vinton officials say they expect the county to participate in road improvements and utility expansions if the town retains ownership. But it's also possible that the town will sell the property to a private entity once deed and zoning restrictions are in place to ensure that it is developed as desired.
"We don't see any development starting soon, but you've got to start somewhere," said Goodman, the Vinton town manager.
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