The Roanoke Times: RoundTable

Comments

# 1

[March 23, 2008 5:17 PM]

C. Long

I have to wonder if Mr. Wade has driven up Main St. in C'bg in the past 18+mos.?
To be honest I doubt if more than 1 or 2 of council members even know what National Register of Historic Places really means; also, if the project goes forward with conditions attached, who on earth will have oversight?? Town manager,his "departments", whatever that means! I live in a cookie cutter project, fairly new (3 yrs. old); the oversight wasn't there, and that began with the grading and ended with a "signed off, but not done" certificate of occupancy inspection; all through the town manager's office. Get the drift. Good luck, Cambria section; better get to council meetings, make calls to the town manager's office - and I'm not kidding - Just ask some of us who moved here from out of town - DO NOT TRUST THE DEVELOPER NOR THE TOWN BUILDING (INSPECTORS) OFFICIALS; this is not sour grapes - its simply the truth; ask many questions and go to the council meetings - better yet, call your elected officials at home, often.And good luck to Cambria - You're going to need it - you will get cookie cutter junk, probably.

# 2

[March 23, 2008 5:55 PM]

Carol Lindstrom

I think it is really too bad that the council members haven't been more involved in the happenings in Cambria. Is this the first time some of them have driven by? If they had driven through previously they would have note the new businesses that have come into Cambria in recent years, they would have noted the thousands of dollars of improvements property owners have invested. Unfortunately, it is very costly to do proper maintenance on historic structures and when owners get no help from local or federal government to take care of those buildings (despite the fact the public wants access to the buildings) it takes time to do the restoration and maintenance that is required. I think it is a shame that council members choose to note only what they see as deficits rather than to take the time to acknowledge the positive actions of property owners and businesses in Cambria. As growth has occurred and new businesses have come into Cambria we are not seeing in Cambria what we are seeing in downtown Christiansburg, empty buildings. I hope the council members do not make decisions with such limited information all the time. I guess I'll just have to show up at every town council meeting in the future to see if that is a pattern.

# 3

[March 23, 2008 9:44 PM]

Vi DuPree

Is this the same city council that allowed the slum looking development behind the Rec Center, and continues to allow all the decaying cars off Radford Rd? Do they not have any concept of "ambiance", or concern for the environment? Are they only concerned with tax dollars? Cburg is an ugly, big box town. Surely its time to change that around and promote a place (Cambria) that will attract residents, as well as visitors. Green space is a necessity, or it will take on the look of the ugly box houses behind the rec. center.

# 4

[March 24, 2008 11:08 AM]

Mary

Does anyone but me remember the condition of some of the homes on Depot 20 years ago? They are now lovely homes. I have seen so much improvement in this area of the lovely town of Christiansburg. I have also seen so much loss due to the big box stores.
I will have to repeat C. Long's advise. Ask questions, go to the council meetings, make calls, please do not let historical Cambria become an eye sore. Remind them what it means to be on "The National Register of Historic Places."

# 5

[March 26, 2008 9:22 AM]

Angela

Christiansburg has done enough to trash its beautiful vistas and historic character over the past decade. Cambria has been coming along just fine - looking better and better all the time, I'd say. Let's leave the awful chains of crappy townhouses on the other side of Franklin Street.

# 6

[March 26, 2008 10:32 AM]

Bill

Sweet lord, I can't believe I am about to say this, but I finally agree with one of your columns! I believe town councils in both Christiansburg and Blacksburg have become complacent. I think smart growth is good. I am glad to see C'burg develop into a larger city, but with the council rubber stamping anything that the developers throw at them it just shows that it's about supporting the big guys and not truly considering the residents. There are rarely chances for a do-over when it comes to building under developed areas...we've seen that in Blacksburg. I think more vision needs to be considered when developing areas into new "town centers". Imagine if you could designate this area in C'burg an "old town" of sorts with residential, small shops and cafes and open spaces to hold small community gatherings. Now it will be just a bunch of houses which represent the same old way of doing things.

On a side note, Vi...people that live in the area behind the rec center might consider you comment offensive...I know I did. They might have not developed the area in the best manner, but there are hundreds of young and older families living back there that enjoy the area. We meet many friendly people on our walks throughout the neighborhood. Please consider who might be reading your comments when you write them.

# 7

[March 27, 2008 10:03 AM]

eric

I live a block away fporm cambria, and often walk through the area. The area has improved somewhat from when i moved here 8 years ago from Blacksburg. But it is not, and may never be the sort of area tourists are going hang out in . There will always be an industrial quality to the area, and I personally don't mind that. I definetley am not a "nimby" type. Car repair shops and other not so pretty looking businesses need to be located somewhere after all. I would wonder how much business the antique shop and the toy store do. I can see SOME restrictions( not a lot) on any developer to force them to blend with an already existing community. But , to be honest , that wouldnt mean a whole lot considering some of what is in Cambria now. If the residents and the town want to have total control over what goes on a piece of property, buy it. Oh, and the guy that owns the property now, CLEAN IT UP NOW BEFORE YOU BUILD ON IT . It doesnt bode well that he has let the property sit in a decrepit condition while trying to develop it. It says to me that the developer isnt going to put very nice housing in . And before anyone says all developers are bad, I think you should go have a talk with Bill ellenbogen, or even Bob Pack. They are two that i know to be good citizens of their communities

# 8

[March 27, 2008 11:33 AM]

Other John

I think this is when town's really need to look at their comprehensive planning process and determine where they want certain types of development and then implement policies designed to spur that kind of desired growth. Christiansburg is a myriad hodge-podge of stuff that has no cohesive central style or aesthetic appeal. They have a very attractive new town hall, and across the street is one of those hideous title loan places. They've got old-style neighborhoods near downtown, and then theres a row of townhouses plopped in here and there. You've got lost of new neighborhoods near the Rec Center, and no sidewalks anywhere to be seen. It's sad really.

# 9

[March 31, 2008 10:47 PM]

Brenda G. Wirt

I was born and raised in Cambria. I just can't for the life of me figure out how someone that has lived in that area for their entire lifetime would want to change the the beauty and peacefulness that Cambria now offers to it's citizens. It's just really, really sad to think about it.

# 10

[April 2, 2008 1:26 AM]

Meghan H. Dorsett, AICP : →http://www.dorsettpublications.com

Twenty five years ago, my mother bought the depot on a handshake because she believed "someone should do something." At the time, "downtown Cambria" was in a state of disrepair, as was the old freight station. At the time of the sale, the depot had no back wall (it had been hit by a train in December, 1981), was 16" out of plumb and 12" off the foundation at the rear of the building. The windows were rotting, the wood was graying and decaying, and the old girl looked particularly sad...sad enough that Christiansburg had posted a demolition order on the front door and seemingly sealed her fate. Not so, as it turned out. For a bit more than two years, we poured money into her rehabilitation while running a publishing company. Weekends were spent digging out the foundation, working with carpenters, scraping paint, rebuilding mullins with Bondo, and going to bed exhausted. No public funds were used in the restoration, and often public support was at a minimum. Too often, locals would stop to ask if we were crazy or ask why wouldn't it be better to raze the old place and create a parking lot, which Cambria "desperately needed." In 1985, almost three years after we started the process, the Christiansburg Depot (c.1868) went into the National Register as a stand-alone historic structure. We partnered with Gibson Worsham, a historic architect, and two other friends, and did a repeat performance with the Lee-Surface building (Cambria Emporium) in 1986. In 1989, Gibson wrote the nominating forms for the Cambria Historic District, which was declared a National Historic District in 1991. The depot is included in a number of historic railroad tour guides, including "Great American Railroad Depots" from the National Trust. Tourism has been quietly happening in Cambria for nearly 20 years. While the building is still under private ownership, we try to make it as public a building as time and energy allow, usually on the weekends. It remains the home of Dorsett Publications (which has been operating in the depot since 1984), as well as home to the Cambria Toy Station, Cambria Consulting, TrueLight Photography, and to one of the owners, It still stands as a testament to Helen Dorsett's love of Victorian Italianate architecture, is still supported through private investment, and remains "the right thing to do" because we decided to be the "someones" in my mother's original observation. Old places, historic and otherwise, survive and thrive when people care enough to set aside the profit motive and act. If you are out and about on a weekend and want a two-bit tour for free, stick your head in the door and one of us will show you the old girl.

# 11

[April 16, 2008 9:20 AM]

D Williams

What would be great is a developer who sees the value of creating 'architecture' that fits within the district. Cambria has the intimate scale, industrial cues, and individual sense of place that it begs for a residential developer to design and build true 'lofts' in a big windowed, brick exterior SWVA style industrial building. Imagine the style of some of the great factory buildings found on Salem Ave in Roanoke...built to a proper scale that fits in Cambria. Lots of light, historic lighting, low in heigh, properly landscaped, parking oriented away from the street so the buildings feel like they've been there throughout Cambria's history. Maybe just once developers will actually listen to the feedback of the community and amend plans to 'fit' within the surroundings. Absolutely, Cambria would benefit from new residents who could help create it as a real district - cafes, live-work lofts, small shops, strolling, sitting, having fun watching the trains go past. I'd live there if they did it right.

# 12

[April 21, 2008 3:04 PM]

eric

sounds like a lot of money would be needed for what you suggest. Lots of money in construction would mean high rent or sales price. So only folks with lots of money would live there and be able to enjoy the area. I bet those same rich folks wou then complain about the industrtrial buildings and the traffic they generate . Then they would take aim at the trains and noise. And really, who would pay for all that stuff ? cafes ? small shops ? are you serious ?