Support Rockledge--an Exciting Future for Mill Mtn!
Share your support of a new Rockledge on Roanoke's Mill Mountain by signing this petition! When you sign this petition, you are showing community leaders that you care about the growth and enhancement of our Valley. The environmentally-friendly facility would include a community gathering room for events and receptions, a restaurant, cafe, decks, and patios.
Share your support of a new Rockledge on Roanoke's Mill Mountain by signing this petition! When you sign this petition, you are showing community leaders that you care about the growth and enhancement of our Valley. The environmentally-friendly facility would include a community gathering room for events and receptions, a restaurant, cafe, decks, and patios.
Imagine ...
A North Carolina family excitedly pulling off the Parkway to have lunch at the Mill Mountain café they have heard so much about. An early morning hike up Mill Mountain rewarded by an hour of private relaxation on an outdoor patio with a cup of fragrant coffee. Lifelong friends playing a bridge game before an unforgettable dinner in a restaurant that is casual, yet sophisticated. A delegation of investors being given a convincing presentation about the Roanoke Valley while taking in a breathtaking view of our region. Your daughter%u2019s wedding reception on the terrace, with friends and family gathering along by an unparalleled vista of mountains and valleys. A group of excited schoolchildren heading out for a nature walk with their teacher, after a fascinating presentation on Mill Mountain%u2019s native creatures and plant life.
With the creation of a reception and dining center on Mill Mountain, all of these images%u2013and more%u2014will become be a reality. By enhancing a much-loved, but sorely underutilized community asset, Mill Mountain can once again become a key economic and cultural amenity to our community. Valley Forward proposes that such a facility be realized on Mill Mountain to promote and foster regional economic development. This concept is the result of hundreds of hours of thought and study by unpaid community members about reinterpreting the old Rockledge Inn, which once stood atop the Mountain.
Rockledge will have a strong affinity with the mountainside, allowing the Star to shine without competition. The sloping site will be respected through the creation of a dignified yet modest building with low pitches, cedar columns and siding, stone chimneys and retaining walls and gently curved clerestory windows to frame the sky and bring light deep into the building. Approach from the parking area will lead across a simple stone and cedar bridge to the main level. The bridge creates a transition into the tranquil mountainside and allows for green landscaping all around the building. A deep shady porch, recalling the old Inn, will provide area for dining and gathering at two levels with an additional sunny stone belvedere for dramatic photo opportunities.
Inside, the expansive dining and meeting rooms, bar and lower level coffee shop and snack bar will serve a wide variety of visitors and gathering types. Picnickers, hikers and bikers will have a cool, shady place to refresh themselves with delectable casual fare at the lower level which connects to the %u2018lower trail,%u2019 while weddings and holiday celebrations can take place at the upper level with easy access to parking areas along gently sloped walkways to accommodate all ages and levels of mobility.
The Benefits:
1. An environmentally responsible structure that blends in with the existing scenery, while also providing the public a place to gather and enjoy
2. A strong %u201Cquality of life%u201D attraction to potential residents and businesses
3. A boost to local, state, and regional tourism by enhancing existing assets on the Mountain and creating a new venue for visitors to the area
4. A source of community pride and identity along the Blue Ridge Parkway
5. Financial support for Mill Mountain Zoo and other Mountain enhancements
We thank you for your support of an exciting future for Mill Mountain!
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As a little girl visting Mill Mountain with my parents, I knew something was missing and I always wondering if other people felt the same way, and yes they do.. Rockledge can ONLY help our growing community it will bring more people to the area which will = more $$$ it is a Win/Win situation.. Count me in..
Currently the area of Mill Mountain is wasted. The non-development argument does not make much sense considering there is, and has been signifigant development there already, the zoo, the inn/playhouse, the incline railway and the giant neon star. A destination location there would bring many tourists from the parkway to Roanoke.
I think that rockledge would make a great attraction for Roanoke. Also if they can install gondolas to take you down to jefferson street it would connect all the main attractions together.
Projects such as this are what Roanoke needs to keep moving forward and keeping up with the progression that other comparable cities are experiencing... then maybe one day young people such as myself won't feel the need to leave the area to find a more enriching community.
It would be a great addition to Mill Mountain and to our Valley. It would be used by a wide variety of residents and tourists. The design is environmentally friendly. It would also generate funds for the Mill Mountain Zoo. That will help to keep this jewel viable in the Valley. What's not to like about this proposal?
A place to sit and eat while looking out over the Valley would surely attract visitors. The mountain is not sacred, therefore placing Rockledge on the mountain does not desecrate it. On the contrary, it brings more people to enjoy the mountain.
I love the idea, it is like a tribute to the past and a promise for the future. No reasonable arguement has been made to keep this project from going forward. Make it happen!
This would be a great addition to the mountain! We need to start looking to the future!
The Rockledge will provide another reason to go to Mill Mountain! What can be bad about that?
Yes, I am in favor of Rockledge because this will bring extra tourist money to Roanoke that can be used to continue to improve the Valley.
I see this as a project that will infuse an exciting option for everyone in the valley and those visiting the area. I believe it would be the start of a new philosophy here in the city and could change the outlook for many that are currently disenfranchised.
I support Rockledge as I think it will enhance Roanoke's image as an arts and entertainment destination.
I support Rockledge!
As stated in the letter to the editor I posted in September, the amount of area to be developed on top of the mountain probably will involve less than 10% of the mountain, which should still leave 90% as undeveloped land for use by hikers, bicycle enthusiasts, and naturalists. Since the original Rockledge Inn was there when it was donated by Mr Fishburn, then where is the offense to Mr. Fishburn's legacy? The view from the top of the mountain is one of the most beautiful in all of Virginia, therefore why restrict this from those who wish to enjoy the view while dining?
Great for tourism & the economy! Just wait....it will be busy all the time!
On behalf of the Roanoke Jaycees, we as an organization support Rockledge Center on Mill Mountain. Our organization was established in 1941 and many of Roanoke's leaders and citizens have been a member at some point in their lives. The Roanoke Jaycees have a history with Mill Mountain and the Mill Mountain Zoo. We had a partnership with the Mill Mountain Zoo which lasted over 50 years. After learning about Rockledge and the opportunity it will bring, we find the mission of Rockledge Center ingenious. Not only will Rockledge Center strengthen Mill Mountain, it will support it's related groups and projects such as the Star, Trails and the Zoo. The Mill Mountain Zoo holds a special place with the Roanoke Jaycees and we wish to see success on the mountain. We, the Roanoke Jaycees believe the Rockledge Center will have a powerful and positive impact in the Roanoke Community.
With the Roanoke region's median age at 38 years well above the state average, and a rather stagnant population growth rate, we stand on the edge of decline. It's time to look at some things that will change the valley culturally and help Roanoke attain a greater growth rate.
Rockledge is vitaly important to this community as it will serve as a draw to not only visitors, but to those looking at Roanoke for relocation purposes. Seven years ago, my husband and I chose to relocate to Roanoke from San Diego as we were pursuing a better quality of life. We looked for the "perfect place" for 3 years before choosing Roanoke. I'm sad to say, we'll most likely be forced to relocate once again as Roanoke can't keep good paying white collar jobs. My husband is an IT programmer with Accretive Commerce and will be laid off in the Fall. He's begun a job search in Roanoke, but if it continues to be unfruitful, which I'm afraid it will, we must move to a larger city. We'll hate to leave, but what well paying choice does Roanoke offer? Building an "attraction" such as Rockledge will certainly be an asset to firms as they search for new locations. Also, I'm tired of hauling my visiting friends and relatives out of Roanoke to give them something to do when they visit. The Farmers' Market and the star only last so long, folks! We enjoy taking them to Peaks of Otter Lodge, but why in the world wouldn't we have the same venue closer to home? Like the new art museum, some may fret that it will diminish the landscape, but in the end, they'll admit is was the right thing to do and a benefit to our community. The propsal shows a restaurant that "sits" in the mountainside, not clear-cutting like the disgusting, embarrasing Slade Hill. Please, Roanoke, quit being so afraid of change - change can be good!
As a native Roanoker I remember great times on Mill Mtn. attending plays. I think this project would provide all generations with the opportunity to use the mountain for social activities. I also believe that it could provide the opportunity to have more of the travelers on the Blue Ridge Parkway to come into our area and spend their dollars.
If it would get more people out enjoying our natural surroundings, I'm for it.
I grew up in Roanoke, lived in Atlanta for 13 years and we made our way back to Roanoke to raise our 2 sons. Roanoke is an incredible town and the only way to move forward and attract young professionals is to "grow" and offer new and exciting things. Look at other smaller cities who have grown b/c they are "open" to change and growth, i.e., Greensboro, Charlottesville, Winston-Salem, etc. I am continually amazed at how our city is so quick to turn things down! We support this completely! Kim and Troy Rech
I think it would be a great addition to the Roanoke Valley as a focal point for meetings, dining, weddings and as a great addition to attract more people to the Valley.
Mill Mountain is a wonderful asset to our community, and Valley Forward's goal of buiding an ecology friendly community center/restaurant is a great way of showcasing our Mountain and the beautiful Valley.
