Alam Design Group introduces high density development off Etzler Road
Development of the property has been tried twice before, but never with the kind of precision Husain Alam of Alam Design Group and a group of investors led by Bill Bynum plan for the Old Hubbard Farm off Etzler Rd. Neither previous plan for the property was approved by the Botetourt Board of Supervisors.
But with increased industry and new development in the Daleville area, it just may be the time for the development of more affordable housing. Also the county is looking to add a new fire and rescue station to the Daleville Area.
The new 68 acre Planned Urban Development (PUD) is designed to be located across from the Botetourt Sports Complex at Greenfield. It has 1,000 apartments and single family housing units in over 1 million square feet of space. It has a plan for 250,000 square feet of commercial, restaurant, and retail space. In the flood plain along the creek, it has 8 acres of park, creek, lake, waterfall, pool, amphitheater, terraces, and community gardens/green space. A 10 mile running and hiking trail will connect to Greenfield and the Greenway system. Alam said, ” We have no modern park for families and enjoyable living space like this anywhere in Botetourt County.”
Alam sees this as a great way for Botetourt County to move into the future and get more millenial aged residents. The single family dwellings will be in the $150, 000 on up range. Rents for the apartmenets are hoped to be in the $750- 900 dollar range depending on the size of the apartments.
“It will be all about community,” he said. People will have amenities that make life enjoyable for families as well as singles and others. He stated “High density living is part of the way most growing communities in America are developing. Look at Richmond and other areas and you will find these communities.”
Currently comprenhensive planning meetings are going on and for all of these plans to take place, changes will have to be made in zoning. However, comparing the Botetourt County of the future the Board of Supervisors recent strategic plan describes for the next 45 years, Alam’s plans seem to fit.
He also has a PUD project in Roanoke City off Hershberger Road.
The next few months Alam and the group of investors will be filing with the planning commission and working to speak with the surrounding area about the project.
theboteourtbee.com has stories posted about the strategic plan and also the comprenhensive plan meetings online since April 3.
–Story by Cathy Benson. Photo and plan drawing by Alam Design Group
We fought development in this area once before and helped defeat plans to build on this property. I still have concerns. There will be a lot of traffic unless there can be a connection to Catawba Road (Rt 779). What are the plans for sewage/water? The county is wild about these new developments but could care less about older developments (I live in Dal Nita Hills. We have septic systems that are showing signs of failure. We have no fire hydrants. I have water from The Western Virginia Water Authority. I have a water softener to deal with the hard water and must use a booster pump to boost my water pressure to 60PSI. Without the booster pump my pressure is at best 30PSI. We need water from the lake to help increase our water pressures. and further, I am 80 years old, retired Vietnam Veteran on a fixed income and would not want an increase in my taxes.