Roanoke development

[rusthebuss]

Kinda like the Center in the Square parking garage.

Its in the newest city plan, on the city page.

Also everybody congratulate Steven for getting accepted as the Planning and Zoning Administrator for the City of Roanoke!

Are you talking about StevenRocks?

[weill]

Are you talking about StevenRocks?

Yeap! He hasn't accepted the job due to various reasons right now, but more than likely sometime soon, well see one of our fellow Urban Planet members be in this postition, which happens to be the one and only Stevenrocks aka Steven S. Congrats man!

Edited May 26, 2006 by weill

[rusthebuss]

Well congrats on that perilous journey Mr. Swain! That is a tough job but I bet its rewarding.

[weill]

Not to mention, he might could have a say at what some of us Roanokers want. Maybe not, but cool nonetheless.

[StevenRocks]

Also everybody congratulate Steven for getting accepted as the Planning and Zoning Administrator for the City of Roanoke!

Actually it's Development and Building Coordinator I mistyped my blog entry. Thanks Weill!

Are you talking about StevenRocks? Well congrats on that perilous journey Mr. Swain! That is a tough job but I bet its rewarding.

Thanks Russ I'm looking forward to this.

Not to mention, he might could have a say at what some of us Roanokers want. Maybe not, but cool nonetheless.

Not at first, but we will see what happens in time

[burt]

Congratulations, Steve. I hope this new appointment won't cut into the time you have to participate and advise on urban retail matters.

[StevenRocks]

Congratulations, Steve. I hope this new appointment won't cut into the time you have to participate and advise on urban retail matters.

Hopefully it won't. I plan on sticking around here whenever I can.

[mclawsdrive]

I'm glad the city is planning to build more parking. Check out this article about Norfolk's parking deck development and its related benefits. times dispatch- parking deck Roanoke should definitely make sure that all future parking decks are designed so that additional floors of commercial/residential can be built above them.

[StevenRocks]

I think that's really the next wave: trying to make the central city more productive.

[mclawsdrive]

And the city government can make a huge difference in this. It costs money in the short term to build this infrastructure, but it makes the real estate much more valuable, which eventually offsets the cost in increased tax revenue.

[StevenRocks]

I think the city is starting to realize this. I have noticed as of late that there is a more concerted effort to create more ideal transportation and utility situations, though it's still in its early stages, to be sure.

[electricmonk]

I drove by the Ivy Market site Sunday and it's coming along nicely. Still quite away to go to make the November deadline to get the incentive money. I'm kind of surprised they aren't working around the clock.

[weill]

yeah they have, they have all the trees around the site also.

[mclawsdrive]

This page on VDOT's website shows some renderings of the roundabouts proposed for 13 street SE. vdot

I really like this idea.

Edited June 7, 2006 by mclawsdrive

[mclawsdrive]

It looks like the city market might get some federal funding for improvements. roanoke times

Also the new state budget includes some funding for center in the square and the art and science museum.

roanoke times

[StevenRocks]

It would be nice if the feds could kick in enough money to renovate the City Market Building. It's a treasure that needs some upkeep.

[BGW]

It would be nice if the feds could kick in enough money to renovate the City Market Building. It's a treasure that needs some upkeep.

You can thank one of its former landlords (*cough*Fralin*cough*Waldron*cough) for much of the deterioration.

[StevenRocks]

F&W definately dropped the ball on that one. A little roughness around the edges gives character. Too much just looks ghetto.

[weill]

WSLS reports that City Council just now voted (11:20 pm) to close Loudon and part of 1st Street permantly to vechicaler traffic so the Social Secrity building can go up, which requires a 50 foot buffer zone. Developers promise that the 50 foot area will be open to pedistrians, with possibly a urban mall.

Carilion is also now known as Carilion Clinic.

Victory Stadium to be giving away free bricks.

[electricmonk]

Cave Spring getting it's first highrise. Ok so it's a grain tower but it still looks kind of cool at night. This is the replacement for the Roanoke City Mills that will be torn down to make room for the biomedical park.

Amazing how fast this thing went up. It wasn't there Saturday night. I remember reading a month or so ago that they needed a noise ordinance waiver to work around the clock because the whole thing had to be poured at once to make it watertight. If I don't have too rough a night at work I'll try to get some better shots of it after work. I wasn't expecting it tonight but when I was leaving work and saw it glowing in the distance I had to pull over and take a few photos.

[weill]

Where is that at? When the one gets torn down on Jefferson, will new buildings replace it?

[mclawsdrive]

Isn't it off Starkey Road near its intersection with Merriman, near the railroad tracks? That is the only area in what could be called 'Cave Spring' that I could imagine is industrial enough to have something like this.

[electricmonk]

Yeah that's where it is. This view is from Penn Forest Elementary. I think to actually get to it you would have to turn off of Starkey where the fuel depot is. I can't remember the name of the road.

As for the old one I guess the lots will sit empty for awhile until it's needed. According to the site plan that side of Jefferson isn't even in the master plan. Site facts PDF I would like to see them save the largest of the towers there, the rectangle one that has windows, and convert it into condos like what's been done in other cities. But I don't know if that's feasable from an engineering point of view or if the market would support such a plan.

[mclawsdrive]

On the same website, on a different page, a rendering seems to show elevated light rail in front of the new parking garage across the river from the hospital. What do you guys make of this picture?

[StevenRocks]

WSLS reports that City Council just now voted (11:20 pm) to close Loudon and part of 1st Street permantly to vechicaler traffic so the Social Secrity building can go up, which requires a 50 foot buffer zone. Developers promise that the 50 foot area will be open to pedistrians, with possibly a urban mall.

Well, there goes Henry Street.