ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke’s historic Gainsboro neighborhood could soon see changes.
On Tuesday night, the Gainsboro Neighborhood Center Report will be presented to the community after a year of planning and public input.
The City of Roanoke tapped a Richmond-based company, Downtown Economics, LLC, to engage the community and brainstorm practical ways to improve the neighborhood and grow the economy.
The plan is to start small with entrepreneurial development, adding small parks and rehabilitating vacant buildings.
They also want to develop a commercial district in the neighborhood.
“We are looking to do some improvements, but we always have history in mind. And we are very much tethered to the history of Gainsboro. And we’ll never walk away from that. So anything that we recommend going forward, is very much a part of the history of Gainsboro,” said Chuck D’Aprix, the principal with Downtown Economics, LLC.
The presentation starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Gainsboro Library and it’s open to the public.
The consulting firm will hear from the public, revise the report, and then it’ll be up to the city to approve and implement any proposed changes.