ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, November 13, 1996 TAG: 9611130098
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRISTINA NUCKOLS STAFF WRITER
A Vinton developer who wants a 100-acre farm in East County to become the new home for the College of Health Sciences is questioning plans for a golf course on the site.
Leon McGhee spoke at a public meeting Tuesday night after architects presented a proposal for development of the McDonald farm, the largest tract with development potential in eastern Roanoke County.
The town of Vinton bought the farm 10 years ago for $500,000. The land is just outside the town limits in Roanoke County. Last month, town and county officials held a series of meetings to get ideas from local residents on how they'd like the property developed.
Landscape architects Carlton Abbott and David Hill spent most of their presentation discussing a scenario based on those ideas. The plan calls for 33 acres to be used for a 9-hole golf course, with 50 acres designated for a mixture of commercial uses, including a restaurant, a lodge-style hotel and specialty shops. The remaining 16 acres would create a greenway system with walking trails winding through the tract.
The architects also briefly showed an alternative proposal in which the land would be divided between a college campus and the golf course.
McGhee noted that two full-size golf courses within a 30-minute drive - Franklin County's Chestnut Creek and Bedford County's Stone Manor - have experienced financial problems in recent years.
Abbott and Hill recommended that the 33 acres be left undeveloped if the golf course proved unfeasible.
After the meeting, McGhee said the farm would be best used by donating 30 acres to the College of Health Sciences and using the remainder for commercial or industrial uses. He said it's unrealistic to leave half of the property undeveloped.
About 20 people attended the meeting. Two other speakers said they disagreed with McGhee and wanted the green space retained, either as a golf course or as park land.
The College of Health Sciences occupies a building in downtown Roanoke owned by Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital. College officials expect to relocate in the future as enrollment grows, and American Electric Power Co. has offered to donate land in West County for a campus.
Vinton Supervisor Harry Nickens, who also is president of the College of Health Sciences, was present at the meeting but did not speak. He declined to say which site he preferred, but didn't rule out either one. He did say, however, that the college could not afford to buy land from Vinton.
Asked about the option of donating land for a campus, Vinton Town Manager Clayton Goodman said, "We'd have to discuss that."
He added that the town's main goal is "to have a return on our investment."
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