Old BMS success requires compromise
Blacksburg residents last week got their first glimpse of what could be the future of the old Blacksburg Middle School site. Town council members expressed some legitimate concerns about the proposal, dubbed Midtown, but the plans should serve as a launching point for discussions that could finally lead to action.
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This point of view is exactly the right course of balance and engagement. I think with what has initially been proposed we now see how to improve the parts that aren’t working. Having both Rackspace and Modea soundly based downtown ensures we can continue to re-fill our downtown with daytime workers, night time residents, and businesses. It brings us inward rather than scattering outward.
The original town charret for this project included ‘loft’ style buildings for young families (affordable housing in town limits); space for elderly residents in quality housing and single family homes amid townhomes.
We definitely need to have a percentage of properties priced for affordable needs and frankly some of it needs to price out of the range of students so that we are attracting professionals, families and ‘adults’ while also including quality housing for student populations. We don’t need just a big townhouse development – unless it is real brick and mortar mix as you would find in a downtown setting – not a suburban setting.
The needs for balance and quality of life can exist with the needs for revenue and HIGH QUALITY development. We only get one shot at this parcel – so let’s take the extra time and engage in CORDIAL + RESPECTFUL DIALOG as we all come to the solution together.
Comment by Quality — November 4, 2012 @ 11:33 am