Chris Berry On The Net

I’ve watched with great interest over the past couple of years as downtown Roanoke has undergone the beginnings of a renaissance. The return of two-way traffic has brought Campbell Avenue back to life, and a number of high profile projects are transforming the Jefferson Street corridor from the railroad tracks all the way to South Roanoke. The opening of the new Taubman Museum, and the renovations of Center in the Square and the Market Building should provide a significant boost in tourist traffic to the heart of downtown.

All of these are positive developments, but there are still two major blighting influences that must be addressed if we hope for a complete transformation. The Heironimus Building and the Patrick Henry Hotel both cast desolate shadows over Jefferson Street, and their looming presence discourages the revitalization of neighboring structures. Finding creative new purposes for these obsolete buildings would serve as a catalyst to shift the transformation of downtown Roanoke into high gear.

Rising energy costs and increasing concern over environmental issues will eventually bring about dramatic changes in where we choose to live and work. We’re already experiencing a significant increase in the number of people living in downtown Roanoke, and the transformation of former commercial buildings into apartments and condos has been an essential element of the emerging downtown renaissance.

Mounting evidence suggests that more people are becoming interested in living in close proximity to their workplaces. The Heironimus and Patrick Henry buildings represent a tremendous opportunity to take the next logical step in the process by allowing people to live and work under the same roof. Transforming either or both of these buildings into a combination of retail, professional and residential space would provide a tremendous boost to the pace of downtown revitalization.

Our mayor recently criticized the proposal to renovate the Market Building for being too much like a grocery store. What he failed to consider is that a grocery store is a vital amenity for people living downtown. If we hope for the trend to continue, the day to day needs of downtown residents must be taken into consideration. It doesn’t make sense to live within walking distance of work if you still have to drive to the suburbs to buy groceries. The ground floor of the Heironimus building would be a perfect location for a small grocery store.

There are two basic approaches that can be used when creating live and work spaces, depending on the limitations presented by the existing building. The simplest method would be to designate certain floors as office space and others as residential. For people who choose to live and work in the same building, the daily commute would consist of an elevator ride. The Patrick Henry building would probably be well suited to this sort of adaptive reuse.

The second approach would be to combine home and office in loft-like spaces where the daily commute would involve nothing more than walking from one room to the next. This would be an ideal setup for architects, designers, or other creative professionals. There would need to be limitations on the types of activities allowed to prevent excessive noise or traffic from disturbing other tenants, but a wide variety of uses could be permissible. This type of adaptive reuse would also contribute greatly to what councilman Trinkle refers to as “the vibe”, which Roanoke so desperately needs to generate.

The Heironimus building is already owned by a private developer who appears to have run out of ideas for what to do with it. The Patrick Henry has been in a state of limbo since it was purchased by an investment group in 1990. The city may have an opportunity to acquire the building if the owners do not make good on past due property tax obligations before the end of the year. While I don’t believe that the city should be directly involved in the redevelopment of either of these buildings, city officials can lead the way with sensible incentives and creative variances for zoning and building use.