The Roanoke Times

DALEVILLE -- A developer will get another chance to convince Botetourt County officials that a Walgreens drugstore should be built along the congested U.S. 220 corridor.

The county board of supervisors unanimously agreed Tuesday to rescind last month's denial of the project after Amsterdam District Supervisor Steve Clinton asked the board to give the developer, Catawba Corner LLC, the chance to submit a new proposal that would better address road conditions and other factors.

The $4 million proposal to build the store on the corner of U.S. 220 and Catawba Road in the heart of Daleville was rejected last month on a 3-2 vote because the prevailing majority had concerns about its impact on the already congested area.

Clinton, whose district includes the Daleville area, was among the supervisors who opposed the Walgreens at the board's June 24 meeting. But during a meeting Tuesday, Clinton said that it will be worthwhile to give the developer more time to craft a better proposal.

"I think there's enough value here ... to take another look at it," he said.

After the board voted 5-0 Tuesday to throw out last month's vote, Catawba Corner immediately asked to withdraw its application in favor of submitting an updated one. The supervisors unanimously agreed to the request. According to the county code, the developer must wait three months before submitting an amended proposal.

The timeline is important: Had the supervisors not rescinded their denial, the project developer would have had to wait at least a year before submitting another proposal regarding the same project.

Just how much further Catawba Corner can go in addressing the intersection's traffic congestion is unclear. The developer had originally agreed to extend a left turn lane on U.S. 220 and install left- and right-turn lanes on Catawba Road to help improve traffic flow. Reducing the number of exits and entrances to the property that currently is home to an aging strip mall and other older buildings was also part of the plan.

"We're going to sit down with the developer and the engineer and look at what we've got, see how what we've already proposed can be enhanced and consider what else is possible given the property that we have to work with," said Mike Pace, a Roanoke lawyer hired to represent the development company.

Much of the traffic in the area is generated by commuters trying to access nearby Exit 150 at Interstate 81 in the mornings and returning to homes accessible by Catawba Road in the evenings. A high school, elementary school and county-owned recreation complex are also nearby. Two large residential and commercial developments along U.S. 220 -- Daleville Town Center and Orchard Marketplace -- are under development and expected to add to traffic conditions.

Supervisors Chairman Don Assaid agreed to allow the developer to submit a new proposal, but he's still not convinced the corner is a suitable location for the Walgreens with all of the other traffic factors already in play.

"I don't think there is a whole lot they can do," regarding traffic, he said of an updated Walgreens proposal. "So the question is, do we keep incrementally adding more businesses and more traffic to that area?"