Collegiate Times

Blacksburg planning officials will hold a public comment session on Nov. 20 to solicit input for the upcoming renovation to the Henderson Lawn and College Avenue areas.

Town Planner Karen Drake, Town Planning Director Anne McClung and Mayor Ron Rordam, among others, will attend an open session at the Blacksburg Municipal Building on November 20 at 5 p.m. The purpose will be to present the options available for the renovation project and solicit public comment to determine the best available options for future action.

The College Avenue renovations have been long in the making.

"We began this project with funds from the 2005 federal grant to the Virginia Transportation Improvement Program," Drake said.

Drake said the project's goal was to develop the College Avenue promenade, "the university's main interface with the town."

"What we're trying to do with this project, First and Main, and other projects like the downtown facade renovation is make downtown a destination instead of a throughway," Rordam said.

Officials are considering several courses of action.

"We have several things we'd like to do to make this a more pedestrian-friendly area," Drake said. "We can widen sidewalks, include the possibility for outdoor cafe dining, we can install benches and artwork."

The overall appeal of downtown is the goal, and is part and parcel of a concerted effort to beautify and reinvigorate Blacksburg's ailing downtown commercial district.

"We're excited about some of the new developments that will make downtown more appealing," Rordam said. "We have the Lyric, which has been a growing concern for years, and soon we'll have the Virginia Tech Performing Arts Center in 2011 or 2012."

"The idea is to combine projects," Drake said. "We've contracted Anderson and Associates to do the design work and all we need is a few key suggestions."

Drake said the catch was that not all the ideas would work together and people would have to make a choice.

"The right-of-way for College Ave. isn't changing," Drake said "People will have to decide if they want widened sidewalks, they'll have to give up parking or we'll have to have one-way traffic in some areas."

Rordam said it was important for residents to come and make their voices heard.

"This is more than just proposals." Rordam said. "We want to receive ideas from the public and see what the community wants to see there."

Drake said the meeting's particulars would be published in an upcoming Blacksburg Alert e-mail.