After Roanoke-owned Countryside Golf Course ceased operations on March 1 due to city government budgetary restraints, questions quickly arose as to how the land would be used. At a public meeting last Monday at New Covenant Christian Church hosted by the Miller Court Neighborhood Alliance, residents from the neighborhood offered up their opinions as to what should be done with the property. Planning Administrator Chris Chittum was on hand, along with Council members Anita Price, Ray Ferris and Court Rosen to listen to residents’ concerns.
According to records from previous meetings, residents from the Dansbury Acres and Arrow Wood neighborhoods suggested uses from recreational facilities to a park protected by conservation easements. A few homeowners from Miller Court took a similar tack with their suggestions at this most recent meeting. Jerome Richardson said that he would like to see a community center on the land, since there is not one on Countryside’s side of town. Noting the presence of Green Ridge Recreational Center in north Roanoke County, he said that a community center could serve as a counterpart: “We could complement the county and the county could complement us.”
Johnny Taylor, Sr. saw the use of the land for recreation as having historical precedent. Saying the open space lends itself to recreation, he argued that it would “be easier to build on what you have in place.”
Educational needs were also on the minds of the residents. Donald Dickerson pointed out that the area has no nearby elementary school while Councilwoman Anita Price, an educator for Roanoke city schools, called for a study to be done to look at the possible effect that changes at Countryside could have on local schools. “It’s a very serious variable that has to be put into play. We can’t talk about [new] housing without how it would impact schools and transportation.”
A sizeable chunk of the conversation, however, centered on whether the land should be kept as a golf course. Delores Reed reasoned that it was the only public golf course in the area and it would be preferable to keep it as such, even if it were to be a smaller course. Chittum responded that while a 9-hole course may be feasible, the current 18-hole setup at Countryside was not thought to be a workable situation.
Charles Price argued that the environmental, economic and social benefits of a golf course are “a lot more than perceived” and wondered if funds that were at one time appropriated to keep the golf course open for five more years could be reappropriated. He suggested that city planners discuss options with the economic development department in terms of marketing Countryside.
Maintenance of the course was a point of contention at the meeting. Mike Higgins fretted that the 50-foot buffer section on the perimeter of Countryside’s property was not being fully and properly mowed by the city government as legally required and stated that a neighbor was actually doing the majority of the mowing.
Discussion of maintenance led to concerns regarding animal populations on the Countryside land. A number of residents began to list purported instances of animal control issues on the land, centering on a “strong presence” of skunks. Higgins contended that “a lot of the problem comes from destruction of habitat” by clear-cutting expansion from the airport.
The possibility of rezoning from recreational to commercial land was also on the minds of many residents. Some of them argued against stores and malls moving in given the “closed-in” nature of the land. Price asked if developers could build without regard for common areas should the land be subdivided into portions. Chittum responded that development would also have to adjust to the nearby residential areas.
“As planners, we have to look at what’s going on next door,” said Chittum. “We can’t put incompatible uses next to each other.”
Other concerns put forth by Miller Court Neighborhood Alliance President Daniel M. Hale, Jr., included proper lighting of the land to prevent crime and the possibility of increased traffic and its impact on safety. He also argued that should the land be rezoned, nothing should be allowed that would lower property values.
The meeting ended on a positive note with Jerome Richardson musing on the land’s value and willingness of the community to give input: “Nobody’s taking this lightly … this is a prime location for the city and [we all] want a win-win situation.”
A community meeting scheduled for August 31st, 4-7 p.m., will allow all residents near the site to review the ideas presented. After further refinement, the planning department plans to submit a report to the City Council in September.
By Aaron Layman [email protected]