Nov. 17--Editor's note: Roanoke City Council voted 6-1 to rezone a property at Gatewood Avenue and McVitty Road Southwest. The vote tally was incorrect in the print version of this story.
Roanoke City Market Building vendors asked the city council Monday to explore ways to protect their businesses during a 12- to 18-month closure of the historic structure for extensive renovations next year.
Anita Wilson, who co-owns Burger in the Square, said she's already received offers to host the building tenants, as well as farmers market vendors, from a number of Roanoke Valley property owners. After the meeting, she said she's been approached by representatives from Keagy Village, Tanglewood Mall, Towers Shopping Center and by five real estate agents.
The building is tentatively set to be closed about July 1. It will come at a time when work on other downtown Roanoke buildings -- Center in the Square and the former Patrick Henry Hotel -- will also be kicking off, effectively turning downtown into a construction zone for about two years.
Wilson said the vendors would prefer to stay in downtown Roanoke, but that the cost of relocation while renovation is under way, then returning once the building reopens, would likely be prohibitive.
Wilson asked the council to consider other options that could provide the market building's vendors with better opportunities. The best, she said, would be to find a way to cut down the amount of time the building must remain closed.
"For the sake of the businesses that you have voted to keep, for the sake of the farmers, and the sake of the businesses, the sake of the downtown work force, reconsider the time frame and see if it can't be done," Wilson said.
Council members had a few ideas, too. Vice Mayor Sherman Lea asked if work on the renovation could proceed around the clock, with most of the work done in winter when there's less foot traffic around the market. Councilman Court Rosen wondered if the vendors might be lured back to the building by rent abatement to make up for the time lost during renovation.
Mayor David Bowers said the vendors might be accommodated by moving them around while portions of the renovation are conducted in a piecemeal manner.
City Manager Darlene Burcham, however, said that would likely not be possible because of the large-scale nature of the renovation.
"The problem is we're not doing a cosmetic remake, as we did over a two-week period last fall," Burcham said. "We are doing a makeover of that building that will hopefully last us another 50 years."
Burcham said that architects and engineers hired to plan for the renovation will need to participate in any conversation about changing those plans. They are scheduled to meet with the council in January, so the conversation will likely continue then.
In other business:
-- The council voted 7-0 to spend about $1.9 million to renovate the pool at Washington Park.
Renovation plans include a 5,400-square-foot lap pool, six 25-yard lanes, a slide, diving board, 3,225-square-foot leisure pool and a "sprayground."
-- The council voted 6-1 to rezone a property at Gatewood Avenue and McVitty Road Southwest from residential to allow development of general, medical and professional offices.
A dozen speakers were divided about evenly on the proposal. Proponents said the property is close to Virginia 419 and in a location that touches other, already existing commercial development. Opponents said the rezoning would represent commercial encroachment upon the Greater Deyerle neighborhood and cited concerns about traffic, safety and residential integrity. Mayor Bowers cast the dissenting vote.
-- The council voted 7-0 to name the Historical Society of Western Virginia as the lead agency for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.
The council first had to reconsider a vote taken earlier this year, which died on a 3-3 tie. Rosen, who had previously voted against the motion, said he was willing to reconsider after clarifying that no city funding would be required by the society.
-- The Blue Ridge Junior Tennis League pitched a plan to the council to provide a youth tennis program that would be funded by fees from the indoor courts at Countryside Golf Course.
The group proposes to clean up the facility -- which has been closed the past two years -- and partner with the with the United States Tennis Association on the youth program.
One potential sticking point may be the cost to repair the building, which has a leaky roof. Another may be the contract that the city is negotiating with Meadowbrook Golf to manage the course, which includes the tennis building.
The matter was referred to Burcham.
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