Plans for the Roanoke Amtrak Station area are currently being developed

Roanoke, Virginia – In downtown Roanoke, plans are in motion to develop the area around the Amtrak station. This follows the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) funding for the city.

After submitting an application for the Innovative Finance and Asset Concession Grant Program (IFACGP) through USDOT’s Build America Bureau, the City of Roanoke received $770,000.
The City of Roanoke will get assistance in assessing city-owned properties within a half-mile radius of the Amtrak Station as part of its three-year, $50 million program.

Mandy Cribb, an economic development specialist for the City of Roanoke, stated, “People talk about it now like, oh, it’s so sad when you get off {the train}, so we want it to be a welcoming gateway.”

Many of the properties around the Amtrak Station are vacant lots, according to Cribb. The money will be used to evaluate current assets, find ways to maximize their value, and investigate creative financing and delivery strategies.

The objective is to establish the Amtrak Station as a thriving transportation hub by bringing community and economic development projects to the region.

It might be a food store or reasonably priced accommodation. I am therefore quite enthusiastic about the initiative. It has enormous potential to develop the neighborhood around that transit hub with community assets to raise everyone’s standard of living, but especially for those who depend on public transit,” Cribb added.

Starting this month, the City of Roanoke will solicit community input on what they would like to see in the area by releasing a request for proposals (RFP) for consultants.

The initiative has chosen 45 local, regional, and state public bodies to receive aid, including Roanoke.