Over many many months I've written about various responses and reactions to the proposed Blacksburg redevelopment, The Boulevards At Blacksburg. Last summer, Town Council approved the development after a 5-hour public comments session and tenant recruitment subsequently moved forward. Since that time, some on the Council appear to have changed their minds and are now trying to find a way to block the project. Ordinance 1450 is designed to do just that, and personally I think its a shame.
I'll post more on this when I get back to the office, but for now check out this site. It's a site designed by the developer to solicit feedback and signatures in support of the project, but I also think it does a good job of explaining why the project is good for the Town. Obviously it's going to be biased toward a favorable outcome but in my opinion, that's an okay thing.
Again, I'm walking across campus as I type this on my phone so I'll write more when I get back. Apologies for any spelling mistakes but I just can't see the screen all that well with this wonderful, gorgeous sunshine! Check out the site, I'll have more later.
Too bad the Blacksburg shopping website does not work properly in firefox on Linux.
The guys on town council who want review of large retail stores have made it very clear they will use this as a tool to keep out large stores.
Too bad the Blacksburg shopping website does not work properly in firefox on Linux.
The guys on town council who want review of large retail stores have made it very clear they will use this as a tool to keep out large stores.
I’ve been following this development since it was proposed last year and I was very excited about it until the latest plan showed a big-box store behind Kroger. Fairmount has not released the name of the big-box, but I can only presume it’s a Walmart until they say otherwise. I’ve noticed that several of the comments on the petition, including your comments, stated that we should compromise and work with the builder to make the anchor store work. Without ordinance 1450, there’s no incentive for the builder to even come to the table to talk about it. One aspect of 1450 that people keep forgetting to mention is that it doesn’t prevent a big-box from being built. It just requires that the builder would need to acquire a special-use permit for the building in question. The builder would then have an incentive to work with the town on making the anchor store work for the community. I personally believe the town doesn’t want to see this opportunity pass them by, which is why I believe they’ll use 1450 in a positive manner.
I’ve been following this development since it was proposed last year and I was very excited about it until the latest plan showed a big-box store behind Kroger. Fairmount has not released the name of the big-box, but I can only presume it’s a Walmart until they say otherwise. I’ve noticed that several of the comments on the petition, including your comments, stated that we should compromise and work with the builder to make the anchor store work. Without ordinance 1450, there’s no incentive for the builder to even come to the table to talk about it. One aspect of 1450 that people keep forgetting to mention is that it doesn’t prevent a big-box from being built. It just requires that the builder would need to acquire a special-use permit for the building in question. The builder would then have an incentive to work with the town on making the anchor store work for the community. I personally believe the town doesn’t want to see this opportunity pass them by, which is why I believe they’ll use 1450 in a positive manner.