Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 16, 1995 TAG: 9511160080
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A community survey of residential uses in the Southwest Roanoke neighborhood suggests that apartments and duplexes are the fastest-growing segments of the Raleigh Court housing mix, raising concerns about the stability of the middle- and upper-class community.
The resident survey was unveiled at a Nov. 9 Greater Raleigh Court Civic League meeting.
"Where will we be in 20 or 30 years?'' asked Tony Stavola, president of the league. "Will we be in a situation such as Old Southwest, where as those properties continue to be converted you lose control of your neighborhood?''
The street-by-street process took weeks to complete; volunteers walked every block in the neighborhood.
One by one, residences were identified on a master map as either single-family, duplexes, or apartments with three or more units. That map was then compared with a 1985 city survey of housing in the community.
The results show that since 1985:
Roughly 100 homes in Raleigh Court have been changed from single-family residences to duplexes or apartments.
22 properties formerly divided into apartments have been converted to single-family residences.
About 40 new single-family homes have been built.
Most of the changes have occurred in the northern part of Raleigh Court near Memorial Avenue.
The area is bordered roughly by Maiden Lane on the south, Denniston Road on the north, Wasena Avenue on the east and Edgewood Road on the west.
One of the reasons for the pace of conversions has to do with zoning. A majority of streets in Raleigh Court - including some where there has been little conversion activity - are zoned residential multifamily, a designation that allows conversions of single-family homes at the option of the homeowner.
"In the areas that are zoned multifamily, every one of those properties can be converted without the civic league or anyone else having a say on that," said Jon Hartley, a Raleigh Court resident who works as a planner in Roanoke County.
The city, meanwhile, is preparing a comprehensive rezoning of Roanoke.
Stavola said Raleigh Court could use the data from the survey to lobby for changing the multifamily zoning to single-family.
Structures already converted into duplexes or apartments would be "grandfathered" under such a proposal, allowing them to remain as they are.
Stavola emphasized that the league is just in the beginning phases of deciding what to do with the data. During the next few months, members will be finding out what's available in terms of help. The league then will make recommendations to the planning staff, Planning Commission and City Council.
"I think that right now Raleigh Court is a nice mix of expensive homes, medium-priced ones and affordable rentals," he said. "On the other hand, you want to make sure you maintain a balance there."
by CNB