ROANOKE, Va. – The largest apartment complex in the Roanoke Valley is coming soon to the Route 460-Orange Corridor, east of I-81.
The new housing, which doesn’t have a name yet, will sit near District Vue Apartments and the Cardinal Bicycle.
The city was able to rezone the area for the project last year. Right now, they are working on getting the site plan approved. The developers will then apply for building permits.
Leaders with the City of Roanoke said this would help with the need for housing and hopefully help stabilize high rent prices.
“It will help just increase the supplies that will help with some of the cost and as well as get some folks out of some of the lower income housing into higher levels because it is not necessarily a low-income housing development. But we do see people in the wrong housing they’re in,” said Executive Director Chris Chittum of Community Development and Placemaking.
The apartment developers also want to add a restaurant or retail space on the property. Chittum said the restaurant or shops will sit in front of the apartments. However, no specific names have been mentioned yet.
Several businesses along Route 460, said they are excited for these new developments.
“That’s really going to be a benefit to us as a small business of having more eyes on our location and more people coming through here and kind of held captive here because right now it’s more of a pass-through than anything else at this moment,” said Steve Jones with Cardinal Bicycle.
Meanwhile, Lago Pizza thinks the new developments will help them as well.
“It makes us feel great if it brings in the business. It’s good for the economy. It’s good for everybody around here for this mall, especially,” said Karen Underwood with Lago Pizza.
You might be wondering how these changes will impact traffic along Route 460? The Virginia Department of Transportation said they plan on making improvements to several intersections along the area. VDOT plans on holding a public hearing for the Hunt Ridge and West Ruritan Roads this summer.