Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 2, 1993 TAG: 9310020154
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The plan paints a picture of what Christiansburg might look like in the next five years, and it's an image of more traffic and more growth.
Maps of road additions and improvements, for example, show a new interchange on Interstate 81 near Falling Branch Elementary School and an extension of the U.S. 460 bypass south to that interchange. Also penciled into the plan is proposal 3A to extend U.S. 460 around the congestion developing near New River Valley Mall and widening Peppers Ferry Road to four lanes.
But town officials say the plan is not law and does not establish regulations. Indeed, at a public hearing Thursday night called to present a draft of the plan, officials spotted a few sections where minor corrections are needed.
Once the corrections are made, a second public hearing before town council will be scheduled, probably in November, at which time the public again will offer input, said Town Manager John Lemley.
The plan must be recommended by the planning commission and approved by council before it takes effect.
But even in its final version, officials stress that the plan will guide their decisions, not dictate them.
"This is a projection of the direction of the town, and it is not inflexible," said Kenneth Poore, whose Richmond-based consulting company wrote the 96-page plan.
At Thursday's public hearing, only two people showed up, a turnout that was no surprise to town officials. Gary Harkrader, a 44-year-old communications worker and artist who lives on East Main Street, wanted to know if the town could take steps to strengthen its landscaping requirements, especially in regard to the buildings on Radford Road. The buildings around Market Square look much better, he said.
The difference, Planning Commission Chairman Jack Via said, is that the Market Square buildings go beyond the town's landscaping standards while those on Radford Road meet them.
"We share your sentiments and hope that [the landscaping exemplified by the Market Square buildings] will catch fire and spread," Via said.
Wendy Weihs, 22, a senior landscape architecture student at Virginia Tech whose thesis is on Christiansburg, was interested in the development occuring near the New River Valley Mall.
Will the mall area become not just a business and retail center but also a place geared toward community events? she wondered.
"It interests me that they use the parking lot [at the mall] for carnivals. It seems like there's potential to make it into some sort of community facility," she said. "But it doesn't seem like there's any attention toward that."
Wednesday, in town council offices, while examining the plan, Weihs was struck by the percentage of Christiansburg land given to residences. The plan shows that 47.6 percent of the developed area in the town is residential, and 43.4 percent is agriculatural land, forest or waterway.
The plan includes specific details about all aspects of the town, including its people, businesses and environment.
It is divided into three sections: an identification of the trends, issues and problems in the town; an analysis of them; and goals and objectives.
"The plan for the most part attempts to reinforce existing land use patterns" and protect property values and development, Poore said.
"It's only used as a guide for the planning commission and town council to assist them in making development decisions."
The town spent about $15,000 and almost a year developing the plan. Poore's company was selected because he has worked with the town before, Lemley said.
"It's a good plan. I think it will serve the town into the near future. It's a basic plan," said Jennifer Hoover, the plan's main writer and planner in Poore's company. Town officials provided information, and she met with them several times.
"The plan takes into account what the town leaders see as the direction for the town," she said. "They know what they want."
The plan portrays the town's pluses and minuses, Hoover said. The pluses include its potential for growth, which will bring along with it the biggest minus: more traffic.
She said one of the town's strong points is its downtown area, which features a good mix of retail, offices and nearby residences.
"I see this as an area that could be a real strong point for the town, and is a strong point for the town."
by CNB