| Sharla Bardin

sharla.bardin@roanoke.com, 381-1669

BLACKSBURG -- In the following weeks, the town council will appoint members to a task force charged with looking at the redevelopment of historic properties in Blacksburg.

The task force is being formed in response to a proposed ordinance -- which was "indefinitely postponed" by the council last week -- that deals with redevelopment of a historic property that has been demolished or relocated and would give the town's Historic or Design Review Board some mandatory say in that process.

The ordinance drew complaints from some property owners in the historic district who argue that it's their right to decide a site's future, not the review board's. Some also said they thought the ordinance would make the redevelopment process too cumbersome and could discourage new development in the district.

The task force will focus on how to protect the integrity of the historic district when there is a demolition and rebuild of a structure, Mayor Ron Rordam said Tuesday during the council's work session.

The group will also look at the proposed ordinance to see what aspects people supported and disliked. The ordinance would have made the review board's recommendations mandatory, instead of advisory, when it comes to redevelopment plans for a site where a contributing historic structure has been demolished or relocated.

A contributing structure in the town's historic district means it reflects a unique architectural, historical or cultural feature of the town and is at least 50 years old, according to the town's zoning ordinance.

Under the current code, the Historic or Design Review Board may deny demolition or relocation of contributing structures for up to a year. All of its other recommendations are advisory, however.

Council members Susan Anderson and Cecile Newcomb will serve on the task force, which is expected to have six or seven members.

Rordam also asked the council to think of possible members for the group. He said the council could appoint the members at Tuesday's council meeting or the following week.

No timeline has been set for the task force's work.

Tom Richardson, who owns a historic home on Wharton Street, said he is taking a "wait and see" approach to the task force.

Richardson said Tuesday that there is a tendency for the council to appoint people to groups that share the council's point of view.

Richardson has voiced concern about the proposed ordinance because he said he has earned the right to say what should become of his home if it outlives its life span.

Rordam said he sees the task force being a diverse group that comes with different viewpoints on the proposed ordinance.

Council member Krisha Chachra said it's also important for the task force to work to build a consensus. "We want people on there that will work together."