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Who we are:
Citizens for Smart Growth is a community based, non-profit advocacy organization that focuses on Smart Growth issues in Roanoke County. Citizens for Smart Growth was formed following a 2003 rezoning hearing that was requested on 22+ acres on Cotton Hill Road.
In 1996 the Board of Supervisors approved a rezoning of 300+ acres on Cotton Hill Road. The plan allowed for 4 to 6 houses per acre for a total of 1100 houses. The 300+ acres straddles the Blue Ridge Parkway and was to be developed by a joint venture between Boone, Boone & Loeb and Strauss Construction named Cotton Hill Land Development Co. Any house that backed to the Blue Ridge Parkway was to be of architectural design, color and material such that it was harmonious with the environment. A neighborhood of this magnitude should not be permitted without appropriate allowance for road upgrade, school expansion and fire and rescue allocation. None of this was accounted for, and, as a result, schools became overcrowded and subsequently redistricted. As a result, traffic is a problem and emergency services cannot respond in a timely manner.
At the hearing for the 2003 rezoning, the developers made it clear that they needed the rezoning (allowing increased housing) to make the development financially feasible. Local citizens presented information about the already overburdened schools, roads, and fire and rescue. The Board of Supervisors decided to vote in favor of the rezoning. The Citizens group then filed a lawsuit against the Board of Supervisors citing that the Board did not vote in favor of the public safety and welfare of the citizens in the Cotton Hill area. The lawsuit is still pending.
In addition, because of the efforts of the Citizens for Smart Growth – the developers decided not to build 800 houses of the 1100 that straddled the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Parkway Administration then revoked permission to any other Builder to have public water and sewer. This action reduced the additional homes from 800 to 200.