Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Greenway topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Roanoke County adopts Western Roanoke River Greenway feasibility study into comprehensive plan
Summary
The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to add a feasibility study for a roughly 9-mile Western Roanoke River Greenway segment to the Roanoke County 200 plan; the adoption commits the study to the plan but does not include construction funding or a schedule.
The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors on November 18 voted to incorporate the Western Roanoke River Greenway feasibility study into the county’s Roanoke County 200 plan, a nonbinding planning action that accepts the study’s conceptual routes for future consideration.
Isaac Henry, principal planner, told the board the study examines about a nine-mile stretch of the Roanoke River corridor between Green Hill Park and the Montgomery County line and represents roughly 3½ years of work including National Park Service technical assistance. "It's just a first step of, you know, examining potential routes for that section at a very high level," Henry said, stressing the alternatives are conceptual corridors rather than final alignments.
Henry said the draft study presented 20 conceptual route segments in 2023 and identified about 15 as potentially viable after screening; he noted major constraints including steep terrain, roughly 800 parcels owned by about 500 different owners, narrow roads and multiple stream and railroad crossings that would complicate permitting and construction. The study singled out segments 2, 8 and 20 as priorities for additional, more detailed study.
Citizen and Roanoke Valley Greenway Commission chair Barry Trim urged adoption during the public hearing, calling the study an important regional step and thanking county staff. Dr. Melanie Crovo, a nearby resident, said she values greenways but warned about proximity to private yards, flood-prone maintenance costs and suggested some alternatives, such as routing along Main Street where businesses could benefit.
Board members who spoke emphasized that adoption is a planning step only. One supervisor summarized the board’s position: "This is an initial acceptance of a study for our comprehensive plan. There is no funding available at this time or truly even, on the horizon," and the motion to adopt passed on a roll-call vote with all present voting yes. The motion and vote adopt the feasibility study into the Roanoke County 200 plan but do not authorize land acquisition, design work, construction or the use of eminent domain. Further field work and detailed engineering will be required before any route is finalized.
