Roanoke is preparing for the day when wooded property near Valley View Mall becomes open to development, and it won’t be all that long before development becomes possible. As News/Talk 960’s Evan Jones reports, that’s the reason behind two public meetings, and the first one tonight.

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Here is the full Roanoke news release:

ROANOKE, VA – The City of Roanoke will hold two public meetings to discuss the future of the Evans Spring property – vacant land that lies between I-581 and the neighborhoods of Fairland, Melrose-Rugby and Washington Park. The meetings are scheduled for Thursday, July 28, and Thursday, Aug. 18, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Lucy Addison Middle School Cafeteria, 1220 Fifth St.

The Valley View interchange, slated to be finished and open in 2015, will allow access to and from Valley View Boulevard and Interstate 581 in all directions, and opens up possibilities for a future street connection on the southern side of the highway, as well as development of the Evans Spring land.

Since most of this land is not part of any neighborhood groups’ boundaries or included in a neighborhood plan, the first step will be to create a plan in order to establish a policy framework and development principles to guide the future use of this land. This document will be used by the public, city staff, the Planning Commission, and City Council in future development decisions.