A plan that would dramatically change the look of Wasena Park came one step closer to fruition this afternoon as the Roanoke Planning Commission recommended the closure of a third of a mile of Wiley Drive – setting the stage for the permanent removal of the road and uprooting of 170 trees to widen the Roanoke River.

The plan, which has been forwarded to the Roanoke City Council, is part of a $61 million flood-control initiative to widen 10 miles of the Roanoke River in the city by between 2010 and 2012.