Real Estate development in Troutville
According to the Roanoke Times, there is a new real estate development in the works for Troutville in Botetourt County. The area in question, a rolling 43-acre tract of landing bordering Route 11 near the corner of Valley Road will be developed to include a nature preserve, chipping green, horse barns and 3-story apartment buildings.
“The project…would house enough people to double the population of Troutville. The Troutville Town Council has embraced the project. It recently approved Tam’s request to rezone about half of the property from agricultural to multifamily residential.”
I don’t know about you, but I think one of the major attractions of the Troutville area is it’s quaintness and relative peace and quiet.
“William Rader, the town’s mayor, said the town council doesn’t think the development will dramatically affect the look of the town because Tam told him it will be hidden by tree cover.”
(Emphasis added)
I don’t know about the town council, but I think doubling the population of the town and adding 3-story buildings and a driving range qualifies as a dramatic change in such a small town.
It also begs the question, how does Botetourt County and the Town of Troutville plan to support such a huge change in population with services such as fire and rescue and schools?
Botetourt County officials, however, have some concerns about the impact the project will have on emergency services, schools and traffic along U.S. 11. Erosion and sediment control are other concerns.
Isn’t that what I just said?
“It seems pretty aggressive to me to build that number of units in that location,” said Botetourt County Administrator Jerry Burgess.
Well, at least someone appreciates that this is more than just an ornamental change to the landscape and community. Wouldn’t it be nice if for once real estate developers would just come out and be a little more forthright?
Maybe a statement like this–
‘Yes, this development is large, wieldy and will dramatically change the community, but it will make me a lot of money’.
We can only hope.
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I met my husband in Troutville, I got engaged in Troutville, I go running in Troutville, banking, buying groceries, mailing letters and my address is Troutville…I love Troutville.
Like Burgess I question whether there is a market for this. Ashley Plantation APPEARS (from running through the neighborhood, not from looking at statistics) to be populated mostly by retirees and some families with school-age children. I don’t know if either of those groups would be interested in a $900/month apartment, no matter how fabulous the luxury exercise facility is. Perhaps retirees who aren’t interested in the Glebe and who don’t want the maintenance of an Ash Plantation “McMansion” would like it, but–paying RENT? I think it’s only viable if the townhouses can be purchased, not just rented.
I’m not crazy about development of this area but at the same time I cannot deny that certain benefits do exist (a nifty Kroger, a coffee shop, better shops) that weren’t here when I was in high school 10 years ago. And the Ashley Plantation development, while the prices are astronomically high and appear to be really overinflated, is a nice subdivision. Even if it has increased farm property values (for working farms) in very close proximity by leaps and bounds that the farmers have had to challenge.
This Troutville project reminds me of the Daleville Town Center that is currently being planned….it will change the face of our county and community. whether these changes will be beneficial in the long term (i’m talking 50-100 years, environmentally, socially, economically) is an open question.