CHRISTIANSBURG -- When Meghan Dorsett and others involved in a movement to promote and preserve the historic Cambria district learned that a developer wanted to put 11 town homes across from the Christiansburg Depot -- the district's centerpiece -- they rallied against it.

C.L. "Buddy" Draughn, who owns the property at 655 Depot St., petitioned the town for a conditional use permit so that the town houses can be built in a B-3 general business district. Currently, the site is undeveloped, a patch of weeds stretching out around a small dilapidated house that is part of Cambria's history.

Dorsett and her constituents aired concerns about storm water runoff and increased traffic as a result of the development, but their main focus was on keeping the architectural integrity of the area where many structures were built between 1850 and 1930. They spoke at the March 4 town council meeting and again at Monday's meeting of the Christiansburg Planning Commission, which is charged with making a recommendation to the council.

Hearing those concerns, the commission voted 4-2 to recommend that the council deny the request.

But on Tuesday, the council overturned the recommendation and gave the town house development the go-ahead -- with a whole slew of conditions on its architectural appearance.

Dorsett -- a Montgomery County planner and owner of the Christiansburg Depot -- was pleased with the outcome.

"Actually," Dorsett said Wednesday, "I'm feeling very positive. For the first time ever, we got architectural standards imposed on an historic district."

Dewayne Jennings of Jennings Construction & Development, a small Blacksburg residential construction company, is the developer. Represented by the architectural firm of Gay and Neel, Jennings negotiated many conditions aimed at making the town houses blend with the area, including one that says siding color will be complementary to the existing depot. The old train station, built in 1868, is painted in its original colors.

While Dorsett is not pleased that the town homes will be allowed to use vinyl siding, she said the fact that the town was finally paying attention to architectural issues in the historic zone is encouraging. At Tuesday's meeting, the council showed an interest in placing standards on development in the town's historic districts.

Councilman Brad Stipes said he voted to allow the development because "something important happened."

"A very interesting and important footnote to this is that architectural standards were required in the historic district," Stipes said Wednesday. "It was clear to me that that has moved up on the priority list for more consideration and action to preserve those areas.

"I think it's a step in the right direction," he added. "I think there will be some follow-up action. There will definitely be more discussion on how we do this."

Despite her original opposition to the project, Dorsett now says "those town homes are worth a fortune to me."

Anything, she noted, that gets the town to pay attention to aesthetic value and historic preservation will only enhance its efforts at tourism. She and other members of the Historic Cambria group have been working to draw tourists to the depot, the Cambria Emporium antiques shop and other sites in the area.

She knows throwing rocks won't make that happen.

"Sometimes that's appropriate. But there's a time ... to turn a negative into a positive," she said. "Rock throwing doesn't get you anywhere. It ticks people off, but it doesn't solve problems."

When her family bought the Christiansburg Depot -- now on the National Register of Historic Places -- in 1983, there was a demolition notice on the door. After the death of her parents, Dorsett inherited the depot and the challenges of maintaining it. While pouring both money and emotion into preserving a piece of Christiansburg's history, she found herself cringing whenever a utility-grade building went up in the Cambria district. She hopes that's going to be a thing of the past.

"Maybe the next time someone comes in with one of those damned metal buildings," she said, "they'll think twice."