The Number One Eyesore

As I stare out the window of my Roanoke County apartment I can't help but notice that the view I once had has changed. It looks like someone's taken a cheese slicer and cut out the side of one of the mountains. That area is known as Slate Hill and it's been sitting there virtually untouched since they first cleared the land more than a year ago.

The view from my home is not the worst view of Slate Hill in the area. When driving down 220, one of the busiest roads in the area, you get an eyeful of the dirt trail up the mountain with patchy grass and a big stone wall around it. It's enough to make you mad at whoever started the project. But not as mad as the quote from the developer in The Roanoke Times this morning.

"If I had it to do over, I wouldn't do it."

You see, I'm in favor of new developments. I think Roanoke could be a great city with new shops and restaurants. Maybe some big name retailers and some more night spots. I love the plans for Slate Hill. The new article even says something about wanting to get a place like Bass Pro Shop in there. That sounds awesome! But as of right now, it doesn't look awesome.

The Developer, Jim Smith, threw those ideas out to the Roanoke Times today. He's thinking of changing the plans again to bring in some big names...but he hasn't called them yet. And he hasn't built a building yet. So instead we're left staring at an empty piece of land that almost everyone in the valley passes at least once in a week.


That's not what I call development..

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