Roanoke Pictures

[weill]

OK, I believe I know where your talking about, Im going to be headed around Roanoke someday this weekend...Ill see if I get a picture of it.

[bmedguy]

Has anyone ever noticed the space behind the older parking garage (from the last photo, on the right) there is a 5 story wall, dividing the vacant lot at the bottom from the high ground behind it. It seem like the perfect place for an expanded parking garage or a building; perhaps a parking garage for the first 5 floors and then office space above that.

Good observation. I have heard there are plans to expand the parking garage into that space. The hospital needs more spaces somewhere. It is a chronic problem for patients, and it's not going to get better when Community Hospital moves in.

[mclawsdrive]

Good to hear. Its encouraging that there are already plans to use that space for exactly what I thought it should be use for. (Although it would be cool if I had thought of it first)

Weill, if you got some pics of that site, it would be great. Then everyone who hasn't seen it would understand what we're talking about.

[bmedguy]

Nice shots. Old SW has some beautiful houses.

I wish I lived within walking distance of work. Or rather I wish work was within walking distance of my place, I have no desire to live in the county. I was carless one time and couldn't get a ride and had to take the bus to Tanglewood and from there walk up 419 to Starkey to Buck Mountain to Merriman and being the county there's not a sidewalk or crosswalk anywhere.

Thanks. Sometime I'll have to shoot the whole neighborhood. The good, the bad and the ugly. That doesn't sound like a pleasant walk. You're not supposed to walk in the county you know! Seriously though, it is unfortunate and I think more than a little backwards that public transportation stops at the city line. I used to live in an apartment in the Cave spring area (part of the the county). When my car broke down and I was without wheels for a while, I had to walk all the way to the Coffee Pot to catch a stinkin' bus. Had to be over a mile. I couldn't believe it at the time as I was new to Roanoke. I lived behind the Cave Spring shopping center and there is no way that area should be without public transportation. What's with the county and no bus service anyway? It's a good example of some of the lack of cooperation between city and county.

[mclawsdrive]

8 years ago, I had to walk about 3/4 mile from the county to the city line to catch a bus when my license was revoked for almost a year (wow, I didn't even drive or have a car at the time. Say no to drugs kids!!

The judge said I wouldn't be able to do it. What a joke. The only hard part was getting to my 'Addiction' classes without transportation. I was a lazy, unmotivated bum then, though- until I outgrew my childish vices.

This reminds me, I saw an article a few years ago that Roanoke had the most lenient drug sentencing in the state. Too bad I got busted in Fredericksburg, probably the most anti-pot locality (in terms of police and judges).

Seriously though, it was a HUGE pain in the neck, so don't be stupid kids, the 4th amendment only protects you if the police obey the 4th amendment, so don't risk it. Besides, alcohol is legal and makes your liver happy

[BGW]

I can't believe VM hasn't added county routes! This conversation spurred me to check their system map (for the first time in over 10 years) and I was absolutely dumbfounded to see the routes basically end at the city/county border.

Must be something with counties outside of NoVA- Chesterfield won't allow many bus routes in the county either.

[weill]

I dont know if the independent city factor gets played in because, VM is operated by federal and state funds....just a though...

VM is my main source, though I walk a lot, if you live in Northwest Roanoke, you've probably seen me around.

[electricmonk]

I doubt you could ever get anyone in the county to admit it in public but I think it has a lot to do with class and race issues. Kind of like when Sans Souci (sp?) recently converted to low income units and half the neighborhood freaked out. Maybe with gas heading in the 3 dollar plus range that attitude will change.

[BGW]

I doubt you could ever get anyone in the county to admit it in public but I think it has a lot to do with class and race issues. Kind of like when Sans Souci (sp?) recently converted to low income units and half the neighborhood freaked out. Maybe with gas heading in the 3 dollar plus range that attitude will change.

Sans Souci didn't really convert to low-income units- they already WERE low income units. The tenant profile has always fit that of lower-income housing: high vacancy rate, high turnover rate, lots of short-term leases, and lots of migrant/seasonal workers as tenants. My father has lived there since about 1990 and his rent was always ridiculously low. He could afford a different place, but he lives simply, likes the location and, being retired, loves the money he saves (though his rent has actually gone UP since they became the Villages at Garst Creek). The complex has new management (F&W) which already had a "premium" property in the area (Bent Tree), so they officially rebranded Mews/Sans Souci, giving both sorely needed cosmetic and interior makeovers in the process.

Anyone who's complaining now simply wasn't paying attention before.

[mclawsdrive]

Its funny that the surrounding neighborhood was complaining about a plan to invest millions of dollars in renovation on a property nearby and institute criminal background checks and HIGHER rents on the tenants. Yet they still thought this would hurt them because of the stigma attached to tax-credit housing. They must think its the same thing as public housing, which it most certainly is not.

BTW, does a bus stop at the Villages at Garst Creek or do residents have to walk somewhere else?

[BGW]

Its funny that the surrounding neighborhood was complaining about a plan to invest millions of dollars in renovation on a property nearby and institute criminal background checks and HIGHER rents on the tenants. Yet they still thought this would hurt them because of the stigma attached to tax-credit housing. They must think its the same thing as public housing, which it most certainly is not.

Typical knee-jerk reactionaries. If they'd takent the time to realize what was actually going on, they might have learned something. Funny that they're not complaining about Normandy Knoll, which has always been fairly sleazy...

BTW, does a bus stop at the Villages at Garst Creek or do residents have to walk somewhere else?

I've never seen one nearby. The closest bus activity I've ever seen is down Brambleton at the city line.

[weill]

Heres a picture I took this past weekend at the Roanoke airport, about 5 miles from DT

[mclawsdrive]

Thats a great picture. You can see the tops of a few of the taller buildings downtown. It sure doesn't look 5 miles away, you must have a good zoom on that camera.

[weill]

That was 5x times zoom, and my camera has 10x, not to good of shot because it is a little blurry, but nonetheless, I thought it was cool.

[weill]

Here's 3x zoom:

[weill]

Biomedical Building...

[weill]

Tanglewood Expansion...

New TJ Maxx enterance...

Old Mac & Maggie's is gone...future development coming there...

[StevenRocks]

Good Tanglewood shots. I didn't get pictures of the construction.

[BGW]

Old Mac & Maggie's is gone...future development coming there...

Isn't Panera Bread is locating there?

[weill]

Isn't Panera Bread is locating there?

Yes, that is the plans for the site, hopefully they can and will move there.

[bmedguy]

Here is my walk to work part 2. The new route takes me through a different section of the neigborhood, down Franklin, over the river and along the riverwalk, then through Rivers Edge Park to the new building. It ends like the first set with the view out my window. Enjoy the walk!

[rusthebuss]

Nice pics dude! Thanks

[weill]

I see my old stomping grounds, great pictures. I wish we had more tours, I'll get some this weekend, hopefully.

[bmedguy]

Yes, that is the plans for the site, hopefully they can and will move there.

I'm pretty sure it is a done deal. Panera is finally locating here. Nice pictures by the way. I hadn't seen what's going on with Tanglewood Mall. Thanks!

[electricmonk]

Some photos I mentioned in a couple other threads. Figured I would put them here to make them easier to find. I apologize in advance for the quality of a couple of them. I didn't edit them much other than levels and resizing.

From Mill Mountain.

1984 it was about 100 degrees that day and very hazy as you can tell.

Probably 1987 or 88

January 1996 after the 22" snowfall. Drove my little 1990 Pontiac LeMans up the mountain and around a barricade at the foot of the mountain to take some photos. It was like driving thru a tunnel.

The viaduct mentioned in the Art Museum thread. Seems a lot longer than I remember it.