You may have noticed that Market Street is closed as a thru-street from Campbell Avenue to Kirk Avenue in downtown Roanoke these days. That’s because construction of the pedestrian plaza in the Farmer’s Market area is getting underway. Until mid-February that portion of Market Street will be closed. The overall project is slated to be completed by early April.
It includes turning the parking lots in front of 202 Market/Blues BBQ and in front of Center in the Square into a plaza, and moving some of the Farmer’s Market booths closer to Campbell Avenue. Vendors wanted the project to be completed before the busy season, so Roanoke City agreed to get it done during the winter.
Priscilla Cygielnik, project manager for the City Engineering Department, also points out that until mid-February some of the free parking spaces lost on Market Street will be replaced by free short term parking at a lot on Williamson Road. Market Street can still be accessed from Kirk Avenue until the portion from Campbell Avenue is reopened next month.
Concrete pavers that raise the level of the two lots becoming a plaza will be installed. “It’s going to be quite an improvement to the area,” said Cygielnik. New lighting and storm drainage improvements are part of the plan as well. Moving some of the market stalls closer to Campbell “will open up the view to see the buildings a little better and attract more attention to the market – [make] them front and center,” she added. The other stalls between Kirk Avenue and Church will not change locations.
The total cost for the 90-day project is 1.1 million dollars. “We’ve committed to Downtown Roanoke [Incorporated] and the merchants to close up this project as close to the start of spring [as we can]. That’s the big time for farmers,” said Cygielnik. “We hope to be done April 1.”
The city has been meeting with DRI and the merchants, keeping them up to date on a project that some feared would cause them to possibly lose business. A marketing campaign will advise residents that the area will remain open during the construction. The new plaza can be used for concerts and outdoor dining. Not all of the vendors were happy about more construction in the area although some welcomed the short-term pain for the long-term gain promised.
“The intent of that plaza is to create a downtown gathering spot. You can do special events in that plaza,” noted Cygielnik. Twenty-six parking spaces will be lost but she said that there is plenty of parking elsewhere.
The plaza re-do is a holdover from last year, when there wasn’t enough money available. A new capital budget for the project and a re-bidding process last September made the funds available. “It’s been a concerted effort for some time,” said Cygielnik, adding that the city engineering department has been working on the plans for over a year. By April the Farmer’s Market area may have a whole new look, complete with the pedestrian plaza that some said was the missing component of the downtown makeover.
By Gene Marrano