ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – A shocking Tuesday night in Roanoke as the city council voted to adopt the Evans Spring Master Plan city’s 2040 plan.
The vote was 4 to 3 with a strong show of opposition from several community members who came to voice their opinions.
City council member, Stephanie Moon Reynolds said her pause on the plan comes from the unanswered questions listed in the Planning Commission report.
“I wish to point out that there are various locations throughout the Northwest business corridors that are underutilized and could be redeveloped through some type of collaboration with those owners,” said Moon-Reynolds.
In efforts to preserve the land, city council member Peter Volosin suggested a substitute ordinance, that would eventually be approved, to include an open space with no development.
“When the somebody comes to go get rezone for this, those parts of this, those technical details about how we deal with generic gentrification and all that is part of the master plan, they have to be taken into account when they’re doing that rezoning,” said Volosin.
However, another city council member argued that the ordinance prolongs the process.
“It really does not make this plan any better, in my opinion, to have this in there. I think that that it’s just it’s something small to offer. But it doesn’t warrant making the whole planet better at all,” added council member Luke Priddy. “What I saw was a plan that was developed did not feel like it was done with the neighborhood. It was done despite the neighborhood, how can we consider these things,”
Things got heated after Priddy listed his reasons for voting no.
Due to how close the vote was Mayor Sherman Lea said there will be a second reading vote on March 4 at 2 p.m.
Copyright 2024 WDBJ. All rights reserved.
