Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Editorial: City gets second chance on golf course deal
Roanoke plans to seek a new developer for the Countryside Golf Course. Before it does, the city should ask what the neighbors think.
From the RoundTable blog
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The city of Roanoke holds the gift of a second chance now that the firm that intended to redevelop the Countryside Golf Course has backed away from the project. To use it wisely, the city should invite the neighbors into the process before rushing to court a replacement developer.
In the initial haste, some residents of the Peters Creek North district felt their concerns for protecting their quality of life were ignored, leaving hard feelings. It's now up to the city to correct that perception.
Roanoke made the right call last year in purchasing the golf course for $4.1 million but failed to alleviate the concerns of the neighborhood when it entered into an alliance with Toll Brothers Realty Trust of Horsham, Pa.
Now that Toll Brothers has pulled out, Roanoke should work with the neighborhood and create a development that fulfills the city's need to bring in more families and businesses without destroying the ambience of the existing neighborhood or the trust of those who live there.
There is time to work out an amicable agreement. The golf course, which sold the land to the city, is paying $35,000 a year to lease the property and intends to operate a full season. And the city has said that it isn't anticipating a quick payback on its investment.
This allows time for talking and, more important, for listening.
To start, the residents must understand that 140 acres of green space in a landlocked city is plum for picking, and that it was only a matter of time before the links were scooped up by a developer. At least with Roanoke now owing the property, the city can call the shots in selecting the right plan that fits with the area rather than leave it to chance.
At the same time, the city must understand that what makes the Countryside area attractive to existing homeowners is the wide open expanse. So it must do a better job with this new opportunity, to listen to what the neighbors really want and require that any development include green spaces, buffers, and recreational amenities. These things would be just as attractive in courting new people to the city as in satisfying the existing residents.
The last thing Roanoke needs in trying to attract new people is to leave a trail of hard feelings that makes existing residents think about joining the exodus and moving outside the city limits. Taking the time to listen will help.
