Background
Information on VF's Mill Mountain
Park Restaurant Proposal
1.
Roanoke City Council issued an “invitation for proposals” for
developing a commercial entity on the summit of Mill Mountain.
This was issued in spite of the fact that the following recommendation
in the Mill Mountain Management Plan, adopted by City Council
in 2006, has not been acted upon.
• The time is now ripe to develop and implement a sound management plan
for Mill Mountain Park - one that is consistent with the emerging concept of
the sustainable park and respectful of the unique features of this urban oasis.
With the development of a clear vision for the park and the enumeration of the
management strategies needed to accomplish it, Mill Mountain Park will continue
to be a unique and cherished presence in the City of Roanoke for the generations
to come.
• We call upon Roanoke City Council to decline any further attention to
development proposals on Mill Mountain until this recommendation has been acted
upon.
2. Valley Forward provided the only proposal. They indicate
that the large restaurant, café and community room is fiscally viable only if one million
dollars is donated to the project. The Valley Forward chairman announced in
a public
information session that this money would be raised within the membership of
Valley Forward, and that he and the vice-chairman would each be contributing
$25,000. This reeks of using private wealth for political influence.
3. Even with this million dollars, the proposal carries a significant
risk of failure. The accuracy of their revenue and cost
projections is questionable.
A restaurant such as that proposed will need to have consistent lunch and
dinner
business, in spite of weather, or preferring to dine downtown or in one
of our fine neighborhood restaurants. Roanoke may be left
with a white elephant
bleeding
red ink over this city park.
4. Valley Forward is attempting to establish “green credentials” through
support of greenways and of a conservation easement on Carvin’s Cove. The
easement on the Cove is a “no-brainer”: as a major source of city
water, the city will never respond to development pressure on the Cove acreage.
And, being green is about much more than greenways.
5. Valley Forward claims that they will build a Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building.
However, site selection
language for LEED
certification excludes “land which prior to acquisition for the project was public parkland.” Even
if LEED certification is possible, their proposal violates the intent of environmental
stewardship advocated by the LEED certifying organization.
6. A large new parking lot will require the re-grading of the
large hill on the mountain, with retaining walls built
around it to keep the sides
intact.
7. Contrary to Valley Forward’s claim that Mill Mountain is underutilized,
56,643 people entered the Discovery Center in 2007. Countless additional people “used” the
mountain without entering this facility. The mountain summit welcomes people
of all mobility levels, including those using wheelchairs, to enjoy its paved,
gently sloping trails.
8. Valley Forward presents this project as essential to
Roanoke’s future
economic vitality. Actually, their approach of developing readily accessible,
pristine green space reflects the strategies of past years. In the new technology-oriented
economy, “quality of place” is the attracting factor for young professionals,
with “just in time” access to green space being one of the most
valued features. Boeing recently chose Chicago over Dallas for a substantial
expansion
- because Chicago has more green amenities to offer. The development of this
project would convey to the world that Roanoke is dated in its understanding
of the new economy.
9. In Valley Forward’s words, if the development occurs “visibility
would be minimal but you would also be able to see out”. In other words,
there would be no awesome view.
10. Noxious diesel fumes from delivery and garbage trucks will
change the current serene atmosphere found on the mountain
summit - every
day, making
it a much
less welcoming space. The impact during the two-year construction
would be horrendous.
11. The proposed development is not in the footprint of the
original Rockledge Inn, which was a colossal business failure,
operating
only 22 of the 84
years the building existed.
12. JB Fishburn, donor of the mountain to the city “to be developed...
as a public park”, did not object to the 1949 construction of the neon
star, nor did he demolish the original Rockledge Inn. Environmental stewardship
was not a consideration 60 years ago, before the madness of developing acres
of greenfields had accelerated to the alarming extent that it now threatens quality
of life for the entire planet. The neon star has become a civic icon, a reflection
of our identify as the “star city”, and represents nothing commercial.
His grandchildren, who knew their grandfather and his values and intentions,
believe he would not look favorably upon this proposal. His intentions, as
conveyed by family members, should be respected and honored.
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Mill Mountain