ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – A proposal to rezone farmland in Roanoke County is causing concern for some neighbors who moved to the area for its rural charm.
T.J. Williams and her family relocated from Northern Virginia to Roanoke County seeking space and less congestion. Their property sits near the Old Poage Farm, a site that may soon be transformed into a mixed-use development featuring townhomes, commercial businesses, parks, and playgrounds.
“It sounds like they’re trying to make this become very similar to the outskirts of Northern Virginia with the townhomes and the commercialism,” Williams said.
The land was purchased by local developer Alexander Boone in September. Roanoke County had originally acquired the property from the Poage family to build a school, but plans fell through after the 2008 economic downturn and declining school enrollment.
Now, Boone envisions the area as a walkable community, preserving much of the surrounding farmland.
“I see people walking on sidewalks. I see them in all of our parks. We’re going to have at least five parks. We’re going to have four playgrounds. We’re leaving all the land across the street in conservation,” Boone said “I see the poages out there continuing to raise their cattle. I see people walking down to have a beer or have pizza, get coffee.”
The site is currently zoned for single-family homes, but Boone’s proposal includes a rezoning application to allow for townhomes. This plan has drawn criticism from neighbors who are wary of changing the character of the area.
“I knew the zoning. The zoning of all this is R-1, and now they’re talking about changing the character of the neighborhood basically, and I don’t like that,” Bill Overstreet said.
In response, Boone defended the proposal as progress.
“Clearly it’s different, but that’s development. That’s progress. That’s how you grow. Every house out there was planted in a rural area,” he said.
Boone emphasized that the project would address Roanoke County’s housing shortage. He and his team plan to meet with community members next week to discuss the development and hear their concerns.
The meeting scheduled for Tuesday is an open-house-style event to foster dialogue about the future of the neighborhood.