Collegiate Times

The long months of campaigning have finally paid off: In January, three citizens will be sworn in to the Blacksburg Town Council for the first time while a fourth holds on to a second term.

The election results, however, are merely the first sentence in the next chapter of Blacksburg history. What remains to be seen is the impact that the newly reshaped council will have on the town.

As the economy continues to fluctuate, a question left in the minds of many is how the council will assist the town’s economic situation. Popular topics during campaigns were job creation, economic help, and the idea of a “big box” store building near to the First & Main development.

“We’re making great economic progress,” said returning council member Susan Anderson. “Our downtown is really starting to explode.”

Anderson said that recent downtown development along with development at First & Main were “quality developments” that she hoped would succeed.

A question in the minds of many, however, is how the council will handle the idea of a “big box” store moving into the First & Main development area.

Anderson, along with others, said that she couldn’t answer that question yet.

Newly-elected member Krisha Chachra said that she would have to wait until the issue arose to give a comment on her opinion, although in a previous Collegiate Times town council Q&A (CT, Oct. 16), she said that she would support “some type of anchor store” in the area.

“So whether it is a movie theater, a store, or high-end office space, I support having something there,” Chachra said.

In the same article, newly-elected member Cecile Newcomb echoed Anderson’s sentiments, saying that she would need to study the potential application to make an informed decision.

Newly elected member John Bush said in the same article that he would like to re-examine the location for a proposed big box store in the future.

It’s difficult for anyone to look into the future, but it’s worth examining how the recent election and a big box store could potentially affect both the politics and economy of Blacksburg.

Associate political science professor Craig Brians said in an e-mail that he doubted the addition of Chachra, Newcomb and Bush would significantly alter the council’s current collective view on big box stores.

“There were candidates running who probably would make changes, but they didn’t win,” Brians said.

The town council that dealt from 2007-08 with the controversial Ordinance 1450, which gave the council greater authority to regulate large-scale retail development in the town, has experienced bumps in the process of filling spots in the First & Main development.

“Right now, First & Main has about 14 empty storefronts,” Anderson said, adding that the council should work to fill those spaces.

“The more there, the more buzz, the more people shop,” she said.

Adding a big box store to the proposed rugby field adjacent to the First & Main development is more controversial, largely because of its proximity to Margaret Beeks Elementary School as well as what she deems to be an unsuitable system of roads potentially unable to support the traffic that would be associated with a large retail store.

The addition of a big box store to Blacksburg would not significantly alter the economy, said Jeff Alwang, a professor of agriculture and applied economics at Tech. It could, however, serve as an anchor to the First & Main development, he said.

“It probably would also lower property values of the surrounding property,” Alwang said.

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