Photo by Eric Brady | The Roanoke Times

The top of Mill Mountain has little green space. A proposed restaurant and community center will have to take some of the green space and use it for parking for the new building. Members of the Fishburn family wish to keep the mountain natural.

During the first Roanoke candidates forum last month, David Bowers -- the first candidate to speak -- opened with his opposition to a proposal to develop a building in the city park atop Mill Mountain near the site of the former Rockledge Inn.

That statement by the former mayor helped to set the tone for the issue, which has since become a defining one in the race for mayor and three seats on the Roanoke City Council.

But even as the May 6 council election nears, two heirs of the man who gave the parkland to the city have announced they oppose the proposal. Whether that will doom it is unclear, but only one of the 10 candidates on the ballot said he would even consider going against the wishes of the heirs.

Valley Forward, a young professionals advocacy group, wants to construct a Rockledge Community Center that includes a 5,000-square-foot "destination restaurant" on the top floor, a 3,000-square-foot community room and a 2,000-square-foot cafe.

Valley Forward envisions that a nonprofit foundation will raise $1 million from private donors to help finance an estimated construction cost of between $2.5 million and $2.75 million.

The four heirs of 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, have said they'll abide by the decision of the Mill Mountain Advisory Committee, which next meets April 24.

Committee Chairman Steven Higgs said in an e-mail that he did not intend for there to be a vote this month. Instead, the panel will review information gathered by the parks and recreation staff.

The committee has an advisory role only; the decision on whether to proceed with the project ultimately will be up to the city council.

According to City Attorney Bill Hackworth, any proposal to develop the Mill Mountain parkland will require a declaratory judgment from the Roanoke Circuit Court that would depend in part on the blessing of the Fishburn heirs.

Not mincing words

Two of the heirs said Wednesday they oppose the project.

"My feeling about this is, while that I personally am not in favor of development, if the Mill Mountain committee wants to go in the direction of development, I'll go with them," said Scott Shackelford.

Louise Kegley was even more explicit.

"We are not in favor of anything on top of the mountain or on any property that our family gave," Kegley said.

"People say, 'You've got the star and Discovery Center and the new bathroom and playgrounds. You've got development, so what's wrong with one more thing?' But we're for not having anything else put up there," she said.

Robert Fralin issued a statement from Valley Forward in response: "We would be extremely disappointed if the Fishburn family does not allow the citizens to have the final say. Whether Rockledge becomes reality or not, the community should have the opportunity to be heard by either their representatives on council or through a referendum."

Some favor proposal

The 10 candidates for mayor and city council are split on their feelings about the Valley Forward proposal.

That includes all three incumbents -- Mayor Nelson Harris and Councilmen Sherman Lea and Brian Wishneff. All three have indicated support for the Valley Forward proposal.

"Taking the Fishburns to court is an option I'm not the least bit interested in," said Harris, the Democratic candidate for mayor.

Lea and Wishneff echoed that sentiment. If the Mill Mountain Advisory Committee gives the revamped Rockledge a thumbs down, however, all three said they would be interested in looking at other property on the mountain.

Wishneff, a Democrat turned independent, said the city might consider property that wasn't donated by Fishburn and therefore doesn't carry the deed restriction that the Rockledge site does.

"Are the views as good? No," Wishneff said. "But are they better than anything in this part of the state? Yes."

Lea, a Democrat seeking re-election, agreed.

"I do feel there needs to be some development" on the mountain, Lea said.

Some of the challengers for mayor and the council have indicated interest in that possibility, too.

Mayoral candidate Anita Powell, an independent, said she supports the Valley Forward proposal and would also consider developing elsewhere on the mountain if the Rockledge site isn't feasible.

"I'd not only consider another spot, I'd consider some other things on the mountain besides restaurants and meeting space," Powell said.

Valley Forward's John Lugar hedged on whether the group would be open to that idea.

"Our thing is, if people are solution oriented, let's talk about it," Lugar said. "If there are suggestions or ideas to make it better, different options, bring it on. The more ideas the better."

Kegley, however, said she didn't think that approach would work.

Among council candidates, Democrat Court Rosen has joined Lea and Wishneff in support of Valley Forward's idea.

Rosen said he'll need to see financial details, but that generally it's a good idea. If the Rockledge site doesn't work, Rosen said he'd be willing to look into other sites on Mill Mountain. And unlike other candidates, Rosen said he wouldn't explicitly rule out a court case.

"I would be unwilling to take anything off the table," Rosen said. "I think it's important to take into account what the Fishburn family desires for Mill Mountain. I also think it's important to see what the community as a whole desires for Mill Mountain."

Five oppose proposal

The rest of the mayoral and council candidates oppose developing Mill Mountain.

Bowers said he has four objections:

n He's skeptical about commercial development on the mountain;

n The proposal is too big;

n It may not be financially sustainable;

n It's an irrevocable decision.

"If it's built and it doesn't work, we're stuck with it up there," Bowers said.

Independent candidate George Sgouros said he, too, is opposed to Valley Forward's proposal. Instead, he said, the city should consider expanding the existing visitors center to house a city-run cafeteria.

He said he'd also consider building something around the side or base of the mountain.

Among council candidates, independent Dale Edmonston said he might be open to renovating some of the existing structures on the mountain.

However, "I'm not up for destroying any more of Mill Mountain, tearing down the trees and scenery in order to build some monstrosity," Edmonston said.

Independent Valerie Garner said she's also opposed to the Valley Forward proposal, in large part because of the new parking lots in the plan. She's also worried about the possibility of financial failure.

She did say she'd be somewhat open to looking at other sites on Mill Mountain or off the Blue Ridge Parkway for a similar project.

Democratic nominee Anita Price said she's opposed as well.

"I guess the best way would be to say I'm not in favor of the Rockledge [project] because there are so many variables that are contingent on the family wishes," Price said.

Price has said she's just as worried about the potential for the debate over the development proposal to divide the city: "I don't want this to become another polarizing event, where people start choosing up sides and not paying attention to the wider picture."

On the Net: www.valleyforward.net www.savemillmountain.com