Roanoke City crafts several plans to move economic development efforts ahead By Gene Marrano With newly adopted plans in place, “now we have to sit down and do the hard work,” says Marc Nelson Development for the City of Roanoke; he says it is not a cookie cutter approach to redevelopment, as Roanoke looks to develop more successful neighborhood centers. A consultant group called Downtown Economics LLC worked with Nelson and others to identify communities ripe for revitalization in the City of Roanoke. The consultant first visited Grandin Village, South Roanoke and Wasena, looking for takeaways on what has made those neighborhood center successful. “Why are they the way they are? Are there examples you can extract from that?” Nelson asks. City of Roanoke
Marc Nelson
Roanoke City Council has approved two long-range plans including a Neighborhood Centers Plan. Four areas in the city have been chosen as "test beds" for revitalization. 11th Street Northwest, West End SW, Melrose Avenue Northwest at 24th Street and 9th Street Southeast were the areas selected with help from an outside consultant. Marc Nelson is the Director of Economic
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The selection was based on “the high potential for success,” considering activity drivers like residential density, traffic levels and amenities that include parks. All have seen better days perhaps and seem ripe for rejuvenation/investment. Some of it is already underway - like streetscaping and a planned grocery store in the Melrose area and the city's already-targeted revitalization efforts in southeast. (The Gainsboro area in northwest is also working on its own separate Neighborhood Plan.)