• About Me
• Contact

It’s Time To Consider A New Home For The Food Court

Posted by Chris Berry on October 3, 2008 in Local Politics, Roanoke Valley

The debate over the future of the Market Building has been long on criticism and short on ideas. Even the public input session intended to collect ideas for the future of the building amounted to nothing more than a pep rally for the food court vendors. Other than the initial proposal unanimously rejected by the city council, there have been no other substantive ideas put forth for public debate. Here are my suggestions. I don’t claim that these are original ideas, but they are certainly worthy of discussion.

I have already made my position abundantly clear that the city owes the Market Building tenants nothing beyond their term of their leases. In spite of this, there appears to be fairly widespread support for the idea that the we as taxpayers are responsible for providing them with a place to conduct their business without interruption.

When the building was converted into a food court in the early 1980’s, the concept made perfect sense, and it served the intended purpose very well. Since that time, downtown Roanoke has undergone a dramatic transformation, and the building needs to evolve to serve a higher purpose. The Market/Museum area of downtown needs an anchor attraction that offers city residents and tourists alike more than just a quick lunch. With that being said, there is still a need for downtown workers to be able to grab a quick and inexpensive meal.

There are plenty of derelict downtown buildings that would serve as ideal locations for a lunchtime food court. Some of the most notable possibilities include the Campbell Mart, Southern Pawn, or Junior Lunch buildings. Any of these locations would be just as convenient for downtown office workers as the Market Building. When trolley service begins from the Riverside Center, it could easily include a stop at one of these locations. Even more importantly, the renovation and adaptive reuse of any of these structures would provide a tremendous boost to the overall revitalization of downtown Roanoke.

If the city can justify a $9 million dollar incentive package to the developer of Ivy Market, then we can certainly support a package to encourage a private developer to rehabilitate one of these buildings for use as a food court. If we start today, any one of these structures could be ready to occupy within a year. Given that we have already invested heavily in temporary upgrades to the Market Building, it should remain safe and sanitary for at least that long. The city could allow the vendors to remain in the Market Building until the new food court building is complete. Once they have a new place to call home, the Market Building can receive the top to bottom renovation that it so desperately needs.

If the city is unwilling to invest in a new home for the food court vendors, there is yet another possibility to consider. Just a few blocks from the Market Square, the struggling Virginia Museum of Transportation occupies a building that is vastly larger than the collection it holds. The location is still within walking distance for downtown workers, and it would also be an easy access point for the Trolley. If a portion of this building were converted into a food court, both the vendors and the museum could benefit from the increased traffic, and the rent paid by the vendors would go a long way toward solving the financial problems of the museum.

If you enjoyed this post, please bookmark it to help new readers find it.