Hawks lives in Roanoke.

Once upon a time I was a young professional who moved to Roanoke. I moved here because I had a job.

I wouldn’t have relocated here because of Explore’s amusement park, a Barnes and Noble-type library in the wetlands, an amphitheater in a flood zone, a $ 32 million multi-generational recreational center or a restaurant on top of Mill Mountain.

I moved here because I had a job, with growth potential in my chosen profession, which provided affordable health care and a salary that paid my bills.

I moved here because I saw beautiful mountains and was recruited by friendly, helpful people.

Young professionals still relocate to Roanoke and remain in Roanoke because they have a job.

Professionals, and other thinking folks from diverse backgrounds, recognize that economic development, quality of life and the health of our region have more to do with the protection of our greenspace, view sheds and tree canopies than it will ever have to do with a restaurant. Short-sighted, commercial development erroneously called progress does not, has not and will not lure young people to this valley.

When I first heard about Valley Forward’s revised plan for a restaurant, coffee shop and community center on Mill Mountain, I was persuaded into believing that this project would enhance the mountaintop — something for everyone.

I could still hike the mountain and have a cup of coffee while enjoying an awesome view. I was assured there would be minimal environmental impact on the mountaintop.

I supported this development believing that if the community could see such a view they would be inspired to protect Roanoke from more strip malls, big box stores and Slate Hills.

After learning more about the environmental impact (savemillmoutnain.com) I’ve realized how flawed my thinking has been and now I no longer support this development. Please don’t be fooled — as I was — by Valley Forward’s claim of green credentials and their glossy marketing.

Mill Mountain is a precious gift. J.B. Fishburn could have developed this mountain but instead he gave it to all of us “to be developed ... as a public park.” I feel confident his intentions did not include fine dining, drinking and loud music in a fragile ecosystem.

This establishment will be accessed by a two-lane road; new parking spaces will remove more than one-third off the back of the top of Mill Mountain. There will be dumpsters and construction equipment, delivery/garbage trucks, all while artificially brightening the night view of the mountain.

Restaurants are risky and have among the three highest failure rates for new businesses.

I’m sure when Fishburn referred to development, he meant things that heighten and ease our appreciation of nature — like picnic tables, trails, a natural habitat zoo, handicapped bathrooms, pet-waste stations and just maybe a small snack bar that caters to tourists and those who patronize the mountain.

If alive today, I believe he would insist on the mountaintop being preserved by a conservation easement and not just the mountainsides.

Valley Forward, and all citizens and community leaders need to redirect their time, enormous energy, well-intentioned motivation and money into making Roanoke a star green city to be proud of. Imagine this: a riverfront walk with small shops and restaurants owned by local business people; greenways linking the riverwalk, Mill Mountain, the Parkway, and Appalachian Trail; a diverse range of employment possibilities; a thriving downtown, the cultural center of the region; bike friendly status; communities with safe neighborhoods and sidewalks; accredited schools and accessible greenspace for all.

These are the amenities that will give Roanoke the cutting edge and keep our young people here if they have a job. The positive folks of Valley Forward can help make these visions a reality.

Saving green and becoming more green is progress. Progress begins with protecting Mill Mountain’s current and envied state.

Let’s leave a legacy for future generations, having them be filled with a sense of pride when they visit the star on Mill Mountain, free of further commercial development — a jewel guarded in perpetuity — for the benefits, use and joy of our entire community, new residents and welcomed visitors.

Please voice your opposition of the Rockledge/Valley Forward’s plan to Roanoke City Council and urge this group to direct its positive energy to other projects both green and sustainable and job creating.

Green is the color of progress.