PHOTO BY EDMEE CR HASLER
GLENVAR — On April 30, Roanoke County launched its long-term vision for the Glenvar area with a public input meeting, marking the first step in a multi-year effort to guide development, transportation improvements, and economic revitalization.
The Glenvar Center Plan, part of the broader Roanoke County 200 Plan, aims to attract new businesses, expand housing options, and upgrade infrastructure over the next 10 to 15 years. Nearly 100 residents attended the meeting to share ideas and concerns about the community’s future.
“This meeting is very open-ended,” said Isaac Henry, county planner. “We’re sharing data about existing conditions and want to hear from the community—what they like, what’s not working, and where they see opportunities.”
Attendees viewed maps and displays of current land uses and demographics while county staff gathered feedback through surveys and comment boards. The study area spans 809 acres, home to about 874 residents and 30 businesses. Demographic data show Glenvar has an older population and a higher median income than the county average, with a strong base of owner-occupied housing.
Key focus areas of the plan include:
- Creating a walkable, mixed-use Glenvar Village corridor
- Preserving established neighborhoods
- Expanding industrial opportunities
- Improving transportation safety and multimodal access
- Enhancing public facilities, including Glenvar Elementary School and Fort Lewis Fire & Rescue
Henry said no formal recommendations have been proposed yet. “This is just the start of the conversation,” he said. “We’re here to listen.”
He also explained the role of the area’s future land use designations—Glenvar Village, Neighborhood Conservation, and Principal Industrial—which guide zoning and development decisions.
“These designations aren’t mandates, but they influence how rezoning requests are evaluated,” Henry said. “There may be opportunities to adjust them to better reflect community goals.”
Henry described the plan’s 10- to 15-year timeline as a practical necessity. “If we aimed for a shorter timeframe, we’d need to redo the plan before we could even implement it,” he said. “Infrastructure and development projects happen on long timelines—transportation funding, for instance, is often awarded for projects five years down the road. But looking further than 15 years is hard, especially with how fast things change with technology and development patterns.”
Henry said he was encouraged by the turnout. “The turnout’s great—especially for a first meeting, and especially at this early, open-ended stage,” he said. “Usually, it’s harder to get people engaged when we’re not presenting a specific project but instead asking broad questions about the community. People are more likely to show up when they’re reacting to a specific proposal. So, to see this level of interest for an open-ended discussion is encouraging.”
From an economic development standpoint, Alexander Jones, assistant director of economic development, said the plan could help attract new businesses to underutilized corridors like U.S. Routes 460 and 11.
“We’ve heard from employers like Mack Trucks and Medeco that they want more dining and retail options nearby,” Jones said. “We’re not trying to recreate West Main Street in Salem, but we’d like to see more choices for workers and residents.”
Jones said housing diversity is another priority, especially for workers and retirees seeking smaller homes or townhomes. “We’re hearing from people who want to downsize, and from employers who’d like their workers to live closer to their jobs,” he said.
Jones added that the county’s recent work provides a foundation for the Glenvar plan. “Our team just rewrote the county’s comprehensive plan last year,” he said. “That included smaller area plans within the larger document. It’s not as focused as this plan, but it gives a sense of community feedback and the direction we’re heading.”
He said the county is coordinating closely with the City of Salem’s economic development office and the Chamber of Commerce. “We want to keep our employers here—and ideally help them grow—and we want workers to feel welcome and able to stay in the area,” Jones said.
“We’ve already been hearing from businesses that their employees are commuting from as far as Botetourt and Franklin counties. They’re willing to make the drive because of the good jobs here, but we’d like to make life a little easier for them. Adding more dining, retail, and services here would help—not just for daytime workers, but also for evening shifts or people who work overnight. Right now, there aren’t many late-night options in the area.”
Among the attendees was 11-year-old Jose, who came with his mother to learn more about the plan. “I just wanted to see what they’re planning for our town,” Jose said. “I hope they build something cool but don’t take away from other places.”
The county will hold a second public input meeting on May 7, with additional sessions planned later this year. The plan is expected to undergo multiple rounds of public review before final adoption in early 2026.
