ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, October 14, 1996 TAG: 9610140097
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRISTINA NUCKOLS STAFF WRITER
Government leaders usually spend a lot of time trying to sell various plans and projects to their constituents. But lately, Vinton and Roanoke County officials have been trying to convince the residents that they don't know what to do.
"Truly, there is no plan that the county or town has, and I think that's an important element to get out to the people," Vinton Supervisor Harry Nickens said last week.
"There are no pre-conceived ideas of what should be done," echoed Vinton Mayor Charles Hill.
The subject of all this indecision is the former McDonald farm, 100 acres off Hardy Road.
It's not that government officials don't care what happens to the property. Whatever is built there will have a major effect on roads, schools and the finances of both the town and the county. The impact will be so dramatic that officials decided not to decide on future plans for the property all by themselves. Instead, they're asking town and county residents to bring their own ideas to a three-day community design workshop this week.
Such workshops are not a totally foreign idea. Similar meetings were held to get suggestions on Steve Musselwhite's Wolf Creek project and Len Boone's Wiltshire development. But in those cases, the developers had already decided to construct residential subdivisions and they had a pretty good idea how many houses and roads they would build. At this week's meetings, participants will start with open pasture and blank sheets of paper.
John Nelon, who lives in the adjacent Montgomery Village subdivision, isn't quite convinced.
"I think they have a fair idea of what they're going to do," he said.
F.W. Finney, who developed Montgomery Village and lives there himself, said he doesn't expect an overwhelming response to the workshop.
"I expect you'll have a few [people]," he said. "I don't think it'll be packed."
County and town officials are hoping to counteract that distrust and apathy with a mass mailing effort. They've sent 1,400 fliers to homes in East County and eastern Vinton in an effort to attract enough people to fill the Vinton Senior Center, which can hold up to 120.
Terry Harrington, Roanoke County's director of planning and zoning, said the meeting is open to the public and not limited to those who received fliers.
Harrington said the first meeting, scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, will be the most important. Participants, probably divided into small groups, will be asked for their opinions on what should and should not happen to the former farm and what concerns they have about roads, schools and other issues.
A team of planners will take those ideas and draw up draft designs on Wednesday in preparation for an open house that evening. The team will include designers Carlton Abbott of Williamsburg and David Hill of Roanoke and planners from Roanoke County and Vinton.
Harrington said some residents of Montgomery Village have asked if they can watch the planners at work on Wednesday, in effect looking over their shoulders as the master plan begins to take shape. He said such visits are welcome, but an open house will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. so everyone can view the plans and make additional comments. On Thursday, the designers will be back at work refining their plans for a final open house that evening.
At the end of the three days, the goal is to have a draft for a master plan that will be supported by a majority of surrounding residents as well as county and town leaders.
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