Southwest Roanoke is seeing the opening of a new coffee shop and a potential law firm

Roanoke, Virginia – The city council meeting on Tuesday night focused on two possible developments.
Following the Roanoke Planning Commission’s October 15th approval of the new construction, city council members gave the rezoning of a new proposed coffee shop in Southwest Roanoke the “go ahead.”

The building’s zoning is changed from residential to mixed-use because the proposed coffee shop is situated in the Old Southwest Historic District district on the corner of Marshall Avenue.

Members of the municipal council believe that a new cafe and community area would fit in well with the neighborhood, especially because the building has been vacant for years.

Particularly considering that structure had to be torn down and rebuilt in order to survive. Joe Cobb, the city’s vice mayor, stated, “I believe that any time we can integrate a business like a cafe, restaurant, or coffee shop into a neighborhood, it’s a plus for that neighborhood.”

A vacant parcel on Franklin Road, which is also located in the Old Southwest Historic District, may soon see another possible development.

The land is next to Crandall and Katt Law Firm, who wished to buy it from the City.

The administrator of the law company says they hope to expand and make the stretch appear more attractive, but specifics about what might be there are still up in the air.

To keep it from becoming a liability to the city, we have been mowing it for more than ten years. Because we took pride in maintaining it, the entrance to Southwest has always looked good. Richard Huff, the administrator of the law business, stated, “We would keep doing so.”

Plans for the future are still being developed, though.

The legal company requested a 60-day right of inspection so an environmental agency could examine the location because the vacant lot was once a gas station, which is causing the final judgment to be delayed.

The coffee shop’s opening date is now undetermined, and the purchase of the Franklin Road lot will be postponed until the next Public Hearing meeting in November.