TECH TO HELP WITH HOTEL-TOURISM LINK

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 16, 1993                   TAG: 9304160117
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
TECH TO HELP WITH HOTEL-TOURISM LINK
Roanoke Mayor David Bowers has asked Virginia Tech's College of Architecture and Urban Studies to help with the development of a plan to link the Hotel Roanoke with other downtown tourist attractions.
Bowers has discussed the idea with Dennis Jones, associate professor at Tech who said the school is willing to work with the city on a plan.
In a letter to Jones, Bowers said he would like for Tech to help develop a computer model for downtown.
"As you know, it is extremely important that we prepare a desirable design connecting the Hotel Roanoke to the City Market, and then westward to the [Virginia Museum of Transportation]," Bowers said.
"There are, of course, several impediments to a good design, but that makes the challenge even greater for us to figure out."
Jones could not be reached for comment Thursday, but Bowers said he has agreed to help.
Bowers said earlier this week that the city needs to prepare a tourism package to tie the hotel to the Transportation Museum, Henry Street area and the City Market.
The tourist attractions could be linked by a linear park system along the Norfolk Southern Corp. tracks or possibly by a streetcar system, he said.
Bowers has scheduled a summit on downtown tourism on April 28. He has invited representatives from 20 businesses, agencies and other groups to attend. Bowers said he wants to get their ideas and not dictate a plan.
Bowers told reporters that a park along the railroad tracks would encourage people to walk among the attractions, of which the hotel and conference center would be the centerpiece.
A pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks linking the hotel to the City Market is to be built as part of the hotel renovation and conference center project.
If the city decides to develop a linear park it wouldn't be too expensive, Bowers said, because the city owns much of the property that would be needed.
The city might obtain some federal money under a new program that provides funds for beautification and historic projects that are related to transportation, Bowers said.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB