ROANOKE, Va. – One hundred and fifty acres of undeveloped land in Roanoke sits between Valley View Mall and the Melrose-Rugby neighborhood.
The land is known as Evans Spring.
Several people who live nearby Evans Spring cited concerns including traffic, safety and environmental issues if the land were to be developed.
“Over the years, the planning commission, finally in 2020, decided this development will not work and will take away the integrity of the neighborhood,” said northwest Roanoke resident, Theresa Gill-Walker.
The idea to develop the wooded area first started in 2011 when a master plan was created.
Then in 2013, Roanoke City Council voted to approve the plan on how development should look if it moves forward.
In 2020, plans were proposed to develop the area for mixed-use property, but were shortly withdrawn because of a lack of support from neighbors.
Roanoke City Councilwoman, Stephanie Moon Reynolds, recalls the time when the plans previously failed.
“I know when I was clerk, there was some concern brought, there were developers in the neighborhood that wanted to talk about Evans Spring but it was shot down, it didn’t even make it to council,” said Moon Reynolds.
Now, the idea is back on the table.
Plans were reintroduced in March 2023, when city council hired a consultant to look at what should be done with the land.
The thought of development brings up Roanoke’s deep-rooted history of disproportionately impacting primarily African American neighborhoods by pushing homeowners out of the area. This previously happened in other parts of the star city, like Gainsboro and northeast Roanoke.
“This neighborhood right here, this community is one of the communities that when they took away our land in Northeast, this is where everyone came to,” said Gill-Walker.
Roanoke City Council will be receiving an update from their consultant on future plans for Evans Spring, Tuesday night.