What is happening to the former Huff Lane Intermediate School site?
It’s been more than a month since schools officials talked about their plans to renovate and expand Round Hill Elementary School. Officials said then they have the funds for an initial phase of work, but the remaining cost of the approxiamately $8 million project will require “an infusion of cash.”
Roanoke Times I File photo
Part of the project’s funding is likely dependent on sale of the former Huff Lane Intermediate School site.
So where does a potential Huff Lane sale stand anyway? Well as my colleague Dave Ress wrote recently, Roanoke City Council was expected to take up discussion on a rezoning of the site tonight but the potential developer has asked for more time. The sale of the former school site depends on a rezoning, which the city’s planning commission has already voted against.
While council is not expected to take up the measure tonight, area residents could still show up to comment.
What do you think? Do you support the potential sale and rezoning that could bring two hotels to the area? Or is the scope of the project too big? And what about Round Hill improvements? How should school system officials fund the project?
January 22, 2013 - 3:02 PM
I certainly hope city leaders change the plan to recognize the integrity of this neighborhood and how much we need this park and buffer in NW Roanoke. That playground, for example, is used so much by local children. It’s unfair to those of us who call this area home to, first of all, close the school and move all the kids to Round Hill, which has led to overcrowding and dissatisfaction within that school. All because they couldn’t sit on that real estate. It’s a real travesty to go look at the abandoned building that is Huff Lane and see all the money that was recently put into improving the building, such as replacement windows, just going down the drain now that the city has decided to abandon the site. I wish an investigative reporter could do some digging about how this deal came about. Then the city turned down an offer from NBC that would have preserved the building and the educational purpose of the site. Also, there’s some great trees planted on the site, including two wonderfully mature pin oaks that provide shade and atmosphere to the entire block. I guess those will have to go to. Just what do we have in our neighborhood to make it livable? Oh, but that’s right, as the city official stated in the paper the other day: they are looking out for the whole city. Yeah right. I wonder where that guy lives.