Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Editorial: Mill Mountain is still open to debate
The vista from below is as important as the view from atop. Roanoke City Council should not stop short of full protection.
From the RoundTable blog
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For the moment, there is no appetite in Roanoke to build a restaurant atop Mill Mountain. Yet the concept -- the idea of what once was with Rockledge Inn and what could be with a hip, panoramic dining spot -- has somehow again become a sticking point, this time in a debate over how much of Mill Mountain should be embraced in a protective easement.
There is no wavering by Roanoke City Council: An easement will be granted to shield Mill Mountain's slopes, some 540 acres, from development. But what of the top? More specifically, what of the tiny sliver, roughly 5 acres, small in size but huge in impact? This piece, adjacent to the northwest overlook, is one of the most visible from much of the valley.
Of that, council is of two minds. One faction wants to exclude from the easement the relatively flat parcel, once the site of Rockledge. Who knows what future councils and residents might want on the mountaintop? Besides, a conservation plan already protects it from development.
The other faction wants to include the parcel in the easement. If any plot merits stepped-up protection, it should be the one piece most vulnerable to future whims. This position makes more sense.
Most of Mill Mountain is not threatened by encroaching development, the prime reason a preservation easement is sought.
To change any part of its use requires an exhaustive public process -- like the one barely started during the controversial proposal a few years back to build a new Rockledge. That leads some to question why an easement, which more or less protects the city from itself, is even necessary.
Looking far into the future, it is difficult to imagine a council that would agree to develop the mountain's slopes. The people of Roanoke are protective of the mostly untouched mountain in their midst, a sentiment passed down over time that will only increase as development creeps farther along other ridges.
Already the top of Mill Mountain hosts some development, most notably the iconic star visible from afar and a small zoo neatly tucked away from view. Even if the zoo were to expand, it would remain out of sight.
Not so with a future Rockledge, the whole point of which would be to see and be seen. If this most vulnerable and visible piece is not protected, what is the point of the easement?
Council needs to include this piece and to dismiss any notion of a compromise that would allow for its development.
