The Roanoke City Council voted 6-0 Monday to place a conservation easement on 6,185 of the 12,000 acres in Carvins Cove Natural Reserve.

The easement protects much of the reserve's ridges and hollows from grading, blasting, mining and large-scale development. The easement also addresses forest management. It will not affect the use of trails running through the area.

The vote completed a process that started in August, when Mayor Nelson Harris called for an easement to protect Carvins Cove in his state-of-the-city speech. The easement, which will be held by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and Western Virginia Land Trust, is the largest in the state.

"It certainly is my goal, and I believe it's the goal of the council itself, to put all of the 12,000 acres under easement at Carvins Cove," Harris said. "This is indeed the first step to making that become a reality, and I know that we'll continue to work on the remainder of it."

Conservation easements are agreements that place development restrictions on land. They can be strict or more lenient, depending on the piece of property and the landowner's wishes.

The easement on the 6,185-acre piece of land, for example, is more restrictive. Potential easements on other portions of the reserve, which will be evaluated by the city's parks and recreation department, will likely be written more loosely.

Parking debate delayed

The Roanoke City Council voted Monday to delay action on a new policy that would reduce the number of free parking spots allocated to downtown residents, who under the current policy receive two spots in city parking garages.

The vote came after four downtown residents complained about the proposed change, saying that the parking spots had factored into their decisions to move downtown.

One of those residents, Keith Hummer, said that when looking at living spaces downtown, his first question was "How much will it cost?" The second, he said, was "Where do we park?"

Under the proposed policy change, residents would receive one spot for free, with the option to pay for a second at half the regular monthly rate.

Councilwoman Gwen Mason made the motion to table the proposal to allow City Manager Darlene Burcham more time to meet with downtown residents. She referenced last summer's debate over city parking rates, saying she'd rather wait and get it right the first time than have to revisit the issue after voting.

Councilman Brian Wishneff provided the only "no" vote, saying he'd rather kill the proposal than table it.

Tennis players seek help

More than 20 residents asked the city council Monday night to improve the tennis courts at Eureka Park in Northwest Roanoke.

Pam Forrest-Hurt, who said she's been playing tennis there off and on for 18 years, complained about the lack of wind guards, inconsistent lights and large cracks in the courts.

Meanwhile, she said, courts in other parts of the city have been maintained in good shape.

Jerome Hamm, who teaches tennis on Eureka Park's courts, said that maintaining the courts at Eureka Park is important for Northwest Roanoke residents.

"Not everyone can get out to River's Edge for lessons," Hamm said. "So the exposure in Northwest is certainly necessary."

Council members said they will ask the city administration to make the Eureka Park tennis courts a more important budget priority over the coming weeks.