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Slicing and Dicing Our Neighborhood

The plans unveiled at the April 3rd Countryside Community Meeting

We are "bellyaching" according to the Roanoke Times when we object to the slicing and dicing of our neighborhood. We have been charged with "bellyaching", "complaining", "negativity", "against change", and "against progress".

Let me be clear - we are protecting "our neighborhood", "our quality of life", "our property values" and we are for " parks" and "affordable recreation opportunity for the entire city". We have asked for a comprehensive study on the property to the point of being breathless and ignored.

I challenge the Roanoke Times to do a poll and ask whether Roanoke citizens think this "green space" needs to be developed or should it remain a golf course and park?

Signs, signs, everywhere signs ....

Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind ... do this, don't do that - can't your read the sign! PS: Our meetings are on MONDAY now - the second Monday of the month.

Roanoke city zoning as it applies to signs is virtually nonexistent. For those of you that don't know why I am bringing this subject up let me explain. There is a very, very, large political sign at the corner of Cove Road and Ranch Road in Northwest City. Our neighborhood comes and goes from this intersection that is already blocked on the left by a hill. The traffic engineer refused to give us more protection from speeding vehicles coming over the hill then what is there now - an "intersection ahead" sign. You have to put the "peddle to the medal" to get out of here.

Cove Road to the left of the stop sign

Cove Road to the right of the stop sign

Now on the right we have the very large political sign we must look at (and hope don't die from) until November elections is over. Now you say I should complain to the code enforcer? So I did that very thing online and received the response "unfounded" as the explanation. When I called I was told that if you moved up past the stop sign which you have to do to get a good look at the hill on the left you can see around the sign. What???

When I asked then this large sign being OK - our neighborhood could put up any size sign on our property we wanted like a huge "Save Countryside Golf Course" sign? The code enforcer answered in the affirmative. This being true .... send donations please for the biggest most obnoxious signs we can get.

I hesitate here to say the following but OK I will spill my guts! A City staff member confided that the interpretation of sign regulations depends on the Zoning Administrator. So exactly what chance do we have when development at Countryside comes up before the Zoning Board ... what's that I heard you say, "interpretation"? BINGO! You win a view of the alley of a retail store backing up to your house and the smell of a dumpster.

Here is the purpose for regulations on signs as the town of Huntersville, NC, sees it. What is wrong with Roanoke ... left to interpretation says it all. Here is Huntersville's statement on the purpose of regulating signs:

.1 To maintain public safety and traffic safety by ensuring that signs are properly designed, constructed, installed, and maintained;
.2 To minimize the distractions and obstruction of view that contribute to traffic hazards and endanger public safety;
.3 To protect existing development and promote high standards of quality in new development by encouraging appropriately designed, placed, and sized signage.
.4 To provide an effective guide for communicating identification through signage while preventing signs from dominating the visual appearance of the areas in which they are located.

Come on Roanoke, what's with "interpretation"?

Henh Ly Remembered Today - April 22nd

The Memorial Park Conservancy works to protect and enhance Memorial Park, one of the state's largest urban parks and a beloved outdoors destination - Houston, TX.

Henh Ly, the Roanoke resident victim of the Virginia Tech tragedy was laid to rest today. The inspiring story was again so beautifully portrayed to all in attendance at a noon service held in the William Fleming Auditorium. All who attended received white wrist bands with his name and the dates - November 21, 1986 - April 16, 2007. A slide show of pictures portraying his life from a very young lad to his days at Virginia Tech. Henh's inspiring graduation speech was played. His grieving family sat in front of his coffin. A large picture of a smiling Henh Ly with twinkling eyes stood beside the coffin. Each student told their stories of Henh Ly exuding both laughter and tears from the audience. Dignitaries came to pay their respects to this amazing young man's life. A life that brought him to American from Vietnam at the age of 5. All spoke to Henh Ly's hard work and achievement of academic excellence.

The Memorial Service is over. Will we forget? Let the end of the Memorial Service not be the end of his story. Let it be the beginning of a memorial that will inspire others in years to come. Again I ask for comments on what I/we as Roanoke citizens can do to honor this young man's life. What would be fitting as inspiration to all who come to America in pursuit of the American dream?

“Henh Ly Memorial Park” where now the sign reads “Countryside Golf Club”. On the plaque would be the words Henh Ly wrote in his 2006 William Fleming Yearbook, a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.” I envision the park to serve as an inspiration to us all for all the years to come. I will add more later as this was an emotional draining day.

Roanoke City Council Meeting April 16th

Mike Higgins gave our vision for Countryside Golf Course tonight. Mike closed his statement with "The Golf Course is a public good that should be explored as an asset to the quality of life to citizens and visitors alike. The benefits to the city and the region could be tremendous." Mike did an excellent job. However, there are still those on Council who are steadfast in their direction. That is the bad news. The good news is that three members of Council will come out to meet with neighbors and walk the course. We don't know what this will yield but we can only hope they have an open mind - Open to a thorough study of the potential for the property as recreation and a profitable attraction.

A big "thank you" to Dan Hale, President of Miller Court Neighborhood, President of the Local Chapter of the NAACP, and neighbor for coming tonight and speaking up for Countryside. He said he was able to get a promise from Mayor Harris to come out and walk the golf course with him. There were several women who spoke on the Mill Mountain Inn and the "amazing" quickness that a Request for Proposal was put out. I won't go into the spin that was put on that but I think we know how that came about. The first woman (I will have to get their names) spoke about Countryside and the Parks and Recreation Visioning Workshop where at each workshop the "voting" dots covered "Keep Countryside Golf Course". If you read my Commentary - I say again "don't agitate the dots". All who spoke were either Countryside or Mill Mountain and "green space" advocates.

I pontificated also and as usual I got carried away and committed the cardinal sin of actually asking for an answer to the outstanding questions about "airport land lease extension" and the "land swap between the city and the airport" saying we are unable to get a straight answer. Do you think we then received a straight answer? Then I just had to insult the developer's concept plan by referring to it being drawn by kindergartners that took all of 6 months to draw. Will I ever learn? It is a good thing Mike Higgins has more patience then I do.

I spoke on Item A -1 which was an overrule of the Planning Commission's vote to deny Shewels a proffer amendment on its plans for building adjacent to Ferncliff. I spoke primarily to make the point that - in conjunction with the Countryside development plan which has Ferncliff opening up all the way to Peters Creek a traffic study should always be required. I knew a proffer to not open up the road was not possible but it was just to make a point.

Per my conversation today with Rick Williams, Planning Commission member, who said they voted it down unanimously ... Per Mr. Williams "There are many things about the Schewel proposal that were unacceptable to the PC [Planning Commission] which is why we voted, unanimously as I recall, not to recommend amending the proffered conditions on the previous rezoning. Unfortunately, for too many people in this city, good planning takes a back seat to short term, unwise, and unsustainable so-called economic development." The only dissenting vote was Councilman Lea.

At the end Mayor Harris asked Ms. Burcham, the City Manager, leading questions on the RFP for Mill Mountain. A long explanation followed and I think I dozed off. Then Mayor Harris asked about the "land swap" and the response was the same as we have heard before. So now you know the answer to ... did we get a straight answer!

I saved the best for last. During my turn a bat I said "at the Nov. 20th Council meeting we were told it was going to be an 18 - hole executive golf course" and I asked "why did it shrink to a miniature 9-hole course now". Ms. Burcham actually denied ever saying that ... what? After the gavel fell I went to the Mayor and Council members saying "you looked me in the eye and repeated over and over an 18-hole executive golf course". How conveniently they say "I don't remember" and Ms. Burcham said "NO we never said that". Well, excuse me ... see the press release below:

ROANOKE, VA - On Monday, Nov. 20, Roanoke City Council granted an extension to the proposed developer of the Countryside Golf Course site. The development group, headed by Triangle Development Group, LLC, of Richmond, also includes the Victor Foti Company, LLC and Allegheny Construction of Roanoke, and Mike Morgan Engineering of Midlothian.

The development team has indicated that a new golf course concept, an 18-hole Executive Course, would be the centerpiece of the proposed mixed-use development. Executive golf courses are designed to provide for shorter length of time of play, and usually are comprised of a combination of par four and par three holes, with an overall course length of less than 4,000 yards.

The development team continues to refine site concept designs and has requested that they be given additional time to present a proposed overall design concept for the property to the city. The City Council granted such an extension until March 1, 2007.

Of course I sent it to them but I doubt I will get a response. Tomorrow, April 17th, Councilman Dowe will come to my home to talk about Countryside. I hope the weather is nice to take a walk around the clubhouse and pavilion. I'll give an update on any progress this visit yields.

I thank all the members who came tonight.

Dream Hole

Dream Hole

Randy King of the Roanoke Times has put together “The Dream 18” in the Sunday April 15, 2007 edition of The Roanoke Times. In the multimedia piece, Randy talks about the best 18 holes of golf in the Timesland area. The list is quite exclusive as it includes holes from Pete Dye’s River Course in Radford, Sam Snead’s Homestead, and other prestigious courses. Countryside is represented on the dream course with the fearful #16.

This hole is quite the challenge. King points out that you can’t miss it short and you can’t miss it long. I would also add that the only place to miss it is in the trap right behind the green or in a little flat area directly across the lake.

A golfer on this hole tees off from an elevated green and tries to hit a relatively narrow green down below on the other side of a fairly wide lake/pond. The X factor on the hole is wind. It always seems to funnel through the natural valley between the tee and the green most often blowing left to right. This really messes with club selection on a hole that its imperative to know your distance.

Randy has chosen wisely by putting this hole on his Dream 18. I think he could have chosen several other Countryside holes. Specifically, # 7 and 17.

Here’s what Countryside (take the “course tour”) says about #7

“At 510 Yards, #7 is one of the most difficult Par 5’s on the course. Your aiming points are the two fairway bunkers guarding the left side of the fairway. Your driver will do fine on this hole which features a fairway that slopes left to right. Ike’s Creek guards the right side of the hole, but really only comes into play up near the green. A solid second shot should leave you with a short iron into this elongated green. Favor the left side of the green because Ike’s Creek guards the entire right side of the green.”

Here’s what they say about #17

“#17 is a 450-yard par 5 with a lateral hazard all along the left side. Favor the right side of the fairway on this uphill par 5. The fairway slopes from right to left. You have a real chance to get home in two on this hole. If you do elect to lay up, you want to favor the left side of the fairway on your second shot. This will take the greenside bunker out of play and leave you with an easy pitch to this left to right sloping green. #17 is another real opportunity for a birdie 4.”

I think the description of the fairway as sloping “…from right to left….” Really undersells the effect. This hole kills me every time I play it.

Golf and Potential

Golf and Potential

The City of Roanoke wants to eliminate Countryside golf course in order to build some houses and unlock some retail space within the city limits. One of their contentions is that since annexation is currently blocked by the state, the city has little opportunity to grow. I completely disagree with the city’s strategy and plan, but that argument is for another blog. In this one, I’d like to share what I see as a great, untapped potential that’s waiting to be unlocked, Countryside Golf Course.

I believe that Countryside could serve two great purposes as a golf facility. It could provide the citizens of Roanoke affordable access to a top-flight golf course, and it could provide Roanoke City an extremely high quality and accessible destination for travelers.

In order to understand its potential as a destination, I believe you have to appreciate fully what Countryside once was. When the course was first designed and built in 1967 by Ellis Maples, it was a championship course with many distinguishing features.

The course was defined by water. Lakes or streams impacted play on nine of the eighteen holes. The second, sixth, seventh, and sixteenth holes all had lakes that directly impacted play. In addition, Ike’s Creek meandered through many holes on the front nine. Almost forgotten these days was a small stream that flowed from Ranch Road near the twelfth green across Mattiponi and below the tenth tee box. Taken as a package, Countryside boasted more hazard water than any other course in the area.

Unfortunately over time, many of these water features have been altered or completely erased. The pond next to the second green has slowly filled with silt to the point that it is now a mud flat, instead of picturesquely framing one of the most tempting holes on the course. The lake that guarded the sixth green and stretched to foot the seventh tee was filled in. The resulting affect was to make the sixth hole a lot less challenging. The small seasonal stream on the tenth and twelfth holes was rerouted through drainage pipes under the fairways.

In addition to water features, Maples was a master at utilizing the fairway bunker in his designs. Some of those original bunks survive in the course to this day. The classic bunker twins on the twelfth fairway are typical of Maples’ design. His bunkers were all beautifully shaped and positioned like spider webs in a garden. Over the years, many of the bunkers have been filled in.

Various other changes have happened to Countryside over the years. Most notably was the removal of key trees on the seventh and fourteenth holes. Also, the third hole was radically altered when Frontage Road was extended to Hershberger Road. The tee box was shifted and the hole was effectively shortened as a result.

I believe that if Countryside can be restored to near its original design, it can become an attractive stop for golf tourists and business travelers. With the airport nearby and many outstanding hotels within just a couple of miles, Countryside is poised to be a destination that can demand premium fees. Since Countryside is owned by the city, it would also offer the city the great opportunity to allow its citizens affordable access to the course. There is no doubt that Countryside as a golf facility, with people talking about its impending closure and with the course not being fully maintained, is still attracting huge crowds of golfers and making money.

I know this much, if Countryside is razed in favor of development, it can never easily unpaved. So much that was and could be would be lost forever in favor of ill-conceived and thoughtless notions, but that’s a blog for another day.