Downtown Christiansburg was forever changed when the county replaced its historic courthouse with what many still refer to as a "monstrosity" completed in 1979 which is now going to be replaced by something with an even larger scale and an estimated $31 million price tag for "Phase One" of the project.
With the town's annexation in 1987 and focus on bringing national stores to new malls, our small town community was experiencing changes many labeled as "growth." One downtown by-pass was constructed moving traffic to an extended Depot Street, and then a second one was built linking the interstate to all points except the downtown area. The area around Town Square became largely ignored except by those drawn to the county seat or government offices, yet there were many business owners and residents who worked to sustain the traditional downtown of this small town. Across Virginia and the nation, abandoned central business districts became the norm during the 1960s through the 1980s.
Fast forward to 2003 and the Christiansburg Town Hall renovations when road construction along Main Street also started, then leap to the Summer of 2008 when one "phase" of a revitalization project envisioned in 1996 was completed. Future phases awaiting federal grants requiring 20% local matching funds remain on the drawing board. With only the north side of East Main in an active phase (because the south side will be impacted by the county's courthouse project), citizens can expect disruptions and ongoing construction for many more years to remain the norm in Downtown Christiansburg. Meanwhile, across Virginia and the nation, central business districts have been experiencing a resurgence of life and vitality, incrementally or with a seeming suddenness, accelerating since the mid-90s.
What is the vision our Town Council has for Downtown Christiansburg? Apparently, it doesn't include partnering for economic development and tapping into a vast wealth of resources, and is instead focused on parking issues. Apparently it doesn't mean making progress on what's outlined as strategies or goals in the town's Comprehensive Plan.
A Roanoke Times article announces yet more missed deadlines, this time to implement new parking limits in the downtown area discussed by council several times last year. After revisiting it, again, council agreed to institute a 3-hour time limit effective Nov. 1.
Why? Because of increased downtown residential units and abuses, or too many restaurants and bars? Too many retail stores or medical and professional offices? No, actually, it may be tied back to county functions and the courthouse not having adequate parking. To be fair, parking requirements are determined by the town manager and are generally based on square footage rather than criteria around the type of business or operating hours, or overall parking inventory available within a reasonable walking distance.
The elephant in the room, or in Downtown Christiansburg, however, is the county slowly swallowing up an entire city block for multiple courts and public safety operations. This means citizens will be coming downtown on government business, and their employees working various shifts downtown, all vying for about 175 parking spaces. Additional parking is suggested as being available for courthouse visitors at the county's health and human services building two blocks away.
The overflow will naturally go to the point of least resistance as it does today, that being whatever is closest. This could be on-street parking which impacts adjacent viable town businesses, the 10-minute parking available in the Town Square area, or it could be the town's own small municipal parking lot (which will sit directly across from the front doors of the new courthouse).
In the meantime -- although absolutely no contact by town administrators has been made with business operators or downtown property owners as regards a change adopted last August (and so they haven't been able to share the information with their patrons, and town officials casually chatting up some merchants doesn't count), and the signs providing notice and instructions about parking time limits have yet to be installed -- visitors to Downtown Christiansburg should expect parking enforcement to begin.
Somehow, citizens went from using broken or tempermental meters that sometimes allowed up to 2-hours parking and pulled in about $3000 a year to hiring a part-time downtown parking enforcement officer. Can we bill the county, or are future fines expected to cover these new expenses? And what fines can be assessed, how much will it cost you the first time, or the second and third times? But have hope, as the Street Committee will be communicating with... the Police Department to iron out enforcement details.
Town council is now reported to have a downtown parking goal: making the signs attractive, the rules effective and easy to enforce. Nothing about being pedestrian friendly or welcoming for citizens, nothing about attracting or retaining business. How's this for a vision to revitalize a community's traditional downtown and support economic development? Keep this up and certainly pesky property owners who won't sell at below sunk costs will be happy to make a deal as vacancies increase when businesses throw in the towel.