Roanoke officials will consider a proposal that could bring nearly 200 new townhouses to the landlocked city.
Roanoke has been looking for ways to expand its housing options, with council members even voting to open up the city's zoning ordinance to give developers more options. Now, a firm known for its apartments is pitching a plan to build roughly 195 townhouse units on a 28-acre chunk of land. Paige Lester Pruett is a second-generation co-owner of CSW Associates. She says the firm has held the land since the 1970s, and initially planned to build apartments there. But that plan changed.
"We felt like the apartment market was satisfied, largely, and we felt like what was missing was that entry-level ownership market," Pruett says.
The land is located off Brandon Avenue between the Skate Center of the Roanoke Valley and Brandon Point apartments, which CSW manages. That would seem to indicate there's less chance of opposition from neighbors. And Pruett says this development, which would be known as Brandon Station, offers a lot of upside for the city.
"Their upside comes from relieving pressure on the housing crisis," Pruett says. "Having housing that's a good option and affordable and close proximity to the business and other things around here. ... We do think it's uniquely positioned and located such that it does support a lot of areas right around it and can help relieve some of that pressure. There aren't many spots to my knowledge where you've got kind of acreage and this kind of central location that can add a meaningful chunk of inventory for Roanoke."
Pruett says that if the city approves a rezoning for the project, it will likely take five to seven years to build out. The proposal comes up before the Roanoke Planning Commission in October.
