Roanoke Group
of the Virginia Chapter

December 6, 2007 - In a letter published by the Roanoke Times, Roanoke Sierra Club Group Chair Mark McClain today made it clear that Valley Forward's less grandiose proposal for a restaurant in Mill Mountain Park does not alter the Club's position against the development.  This past April, the Executive Committee of the Roanoke Group unanimously passed this resolution:

"Roanoke Group of the Sierra Club opposes development of Mill Mountain Park for commercial purposes, based on our existing policy on development which includes the following points: 1) Natural areas should be preserved, 2) Public park lands should be off limits to commercial development, and 3) Development should be undertaken only in areas already served by adequate public infrastructure."

In today's letter to the editor, McClain reinforced these points:

Gentler park plan is still unacceptable

Last April, the Roanoke Group of the Sierra Club added its voice to the many citizens and groups who spoke out in opposition to a large-scale development in Mill Mountain Park.

Now that a kinder, gentler proposal has been floated to the populace, we're faced with the question, "Is this development small enough to be acceptable?" Well, I think not.

From my vantage point, I still see a 10,000-square-foot building and two new parking lots. Granted, a LEED (green) building is better than a non-LEED building, and the Sierra Club enthusiastically supports green construction where development is appropriate. But I don't think a public park with open space and natural areas is such a place.

I particularly object when the centerpiece of this development is a restaurant run by a for-profit enterprise.

Mill Mountain Park should be off-limits to commercial development of any kind, and should be managed as a city park for the benefit of all citizens as a place of respite, recreation, learning and appreciation of nature. 

MARK MCCLAIN
Chairman, Roanoke GroupSierra Club