Roanokers will finally get their first glimpse of Valley Forward's proposal for a new building atop Mill Mountain on Friday, when members of the advocacy group hold a news conference to unveil their plans.

The young professionals advocacy group provided the only response to Roanoke's request for proposals to build an inn and/or restaurant atop the mountain, and though the city council has discussed the issue in closed session, the rest of the city's residents have remained in the dark.

Even as stakeholders and interested parties await the details of the proposal, however, they've already started to draw lines for the debate over the mountain's future.

John Lugar and Robert Fralin, Valley Forward's chairman and vice chairman, respectively, appeared before the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke on Wednesday to build support for their idea. The new version of the development proposal, Fralin said, is dramatically different from last spring's initial proposal, which included a 45- to 60-room inn, upscale restaurant, jazz bar and sandwich cafe.

"We got rid of the private ownership," Fralin said. "There was also a parking garage: It is no longer there. The lodging component was too much: It's no longer too much. The size was too much: It is inordinately smaller. It will be environmentally certified, LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] certified. The visibility was reduced. And more importantly, there's something up there for everyone, whether you live here or not."

While he discussed few details publicly on Wednesday, Lugar said in addition to the Friday news conference, Valley Forward will hold two public meetings to present its ideas and take questions.

The Kiwanians were generally supportive of the concept, with about two-thirds raising their hands when Fralin asked who would be interested in seeing such a project come to fruition. And Valley Forward received an endorsement from one influential Kiwanian: former Councilman Rupert Cutler.

Cutler worked with the group and said the new design is "responsive to my concerns." He said the proposal consists in part of a two-floor building, with meeting rooms, an upscale restaurant and a more casual cafe. That fits with a description provided by Mayor Nelson Harris, who saw the proposal during a closed session last week and said there's no inn component to the new design.

Cutler said he understands the project would be handled by a foundation, with a portion of the proceeds going to support Mill Mountain Zoo. He added that he hopes that if the city council approves the project, then it also would place a conservation easement on the rest of the mountain.

The board of the Western Virginia Land Trust in July recommended a conservation easement for most of Mill Mountain. Roger Holnback, the executive director of that group, said that while the Western Virginia Land Trust is not inherently opposed to Valley Forward's project, it is concerned with its potential impact on the view of the mountain from the valley.

"We need to understand the details of what's being proposed for the mountain. After all, this is a public park that's being suggested to be significantly changed," Holnback said. "A lot of people say having a place to grab coffee or a bite to eat would be a nice addition to the mountain. It's how much and how far. What's it going to look like? Where are people going to park?"

Valley Forward's proposal will be evaluated by the Mill Mountain Advisory Committee, which will make a recommendation to the city council. The committee voted 6-1 against Valley Forward's first proposal -- and there's at least one member who doesn't want any development on the mountain, regardless of details.

"My idea is that we don't need anything up there," said Betty Field, a committee member.

The council isn't necessarily bound by the committee's recommendation. If it does decide to pursue Valley Forward's idea, the council will then need to change the city's comprehensive plan and rezone the land. It then faces restrictions unique to the property.

J.B. Fishburn, the late Roanoke businessman who acquired and then deeded large portions of the mountain to the city in the 1940s and '50s, included restrictions to ensure the land would be "developed and forever preserved, improved and maintained for the use and pleasure of the people of the City of Roanoke, Virginia, and vicinity as a public park."

Although the language leaves some room for ambiguity, City Attorney Bill Hackworth, as well as his predecessor have suggested to the council that any proposal to develop Mill Mountain would require a judgment from the Roanoke Circuit Court that would depend in part on the blessing of the Fishburn heirs. Councilman Brian Wishneff said he would want the unanimous support of the four Fishburn heirs before he would vote to move forward with the project.

Harris said that after the council heard the proposal from Valley Forward during a closed meeting last week, it instructed Fralin and Lugar to share the proposal with the Fishburn family as well.

"Given that the mountain and the park on top of it was a gift to the city from Mr. Fishburn, we feel like that we have a responsibility to be sensitive to the concerns of the Fishburn family," Harris said. "We also realize secondly that if the Fishburn heirs were to oppose the project unanimously, that would then create some legal difficulties for the city to continue to move the project forward."

Harris said he understands the family instructed Valley Forward to present their proposal formally to the Mill Mountain Advisory Council and let the process move forward from that point.

Steve Higgs, the advisory council's chairman, said he hasn't yet seen the proposal. And though he's got a "3-inch notebook" of failed Mill Mountain development ideas dating back to 1965, he's interested in seeing what Valley Forward wants to do.

"For me personally, I'll be interested to see what they bring," Higgs said. "I'll be interested to see how it fits in the land-use guidelines we adopted. Beyond that, I guess, the proof is in the pudding."