Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 3, 1994 TAG: 9403030063
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAN VERTEFEUILLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"We're going to move ahead," said attorney James Douthat after the three-hour commission meeting Wednesday, "but we're not certain what that will be."
The Planning Commission wanted more time to study the impact on traffic in the Valley View area, where any major development could force the nearby Interstate 581 ramp to operate above its capacity, the city's traffic engineer said.
"I think this is the ideal project . . . but I think we're on the verge of strangling Hershberger [Road]," said Planning Commission member John Bradshaw. He and other members wanted to wait for a city traffic study, due in 30 to 45 days.
Although the Supercenter still can be built on 25 acres Wal-Mart owns near the mall, the company was seeking the rezoning of an additional 1.4 acres now zoned for residential use. The commission recommended that City Council deny that rezoning.
If that land were rezoned for commercial use, Wal-Mart could build a road to a hoped-for I-581 interchange that would lead past the store and help alleviate traffic on Hershberger Road and Valley View Boulevard. Such an interchange would need to be approved by state and federal highway officials. The city would pay for it with the projected $600,000 in local sales tax revenue generated in the store's first year, Wal-Mart has suggested.
The commission wanted to table the issue, but Wal-Mart representatives pressured members by hinting that it could scuttle the Supercenter entirely or kill plans for the connecting road. So the commission went ahead and voted, 5-2, against recommending approval to City Council.
"You might be stopping the whole process," said John Knibb, representing Wal-Mart. "We need the rezoning so we can move to the next step."
What that next step will be is now up to Wal-Mart headquarters, Knibb said.
Its options:
Go ahead with plans that don't involve rezoning, but that would not allow a new exit ramp to be built off I-581.
Ask City Council to reject the Planning Commission's recommendation and approve the requested rezoning.
Abandon the site.
City Council is expected to hold a public hearing on Wal-Mart's request in April. Council has voted against Planning Commission recommendations in the past, although it's rare. If that were to happen, Wal-Mart still would have to go back before the commission for a comprehensive site plan review, where traffic concerns could be addressed again.
Wal-Mart representatives presented the rezoning as being a favor to the city, because the company would build a public road across its land to I-581 and give it to Roanoke.
Wal-Mart has been negotiating with adjacent landowners for nine months to get access to two adjoining parcels necessary for the road to be built. Knibb said one of those owners would not give Wal-Mart another option on the land if the commission tabled the issue.
But Planning Commission member Barbara Duerk suggested the road was more than a just a favor to the city. "I think Wal-Mart has a lot to gain by this rezoning," she said. "What more could you ask for than for the city to build an interchange right into your area?"
The store is expected to employ 450 to 500 people, with a $5 million annual payroll, meaning the average salary would be $11,000 a year. Wal-Mart has been looking at the site and planning for three years, Knibb said.
by CNB