U.S. 11 pedestrian path included in growth plan

Construction of walkway meant to help connect the corridor area with downtown

By Kaitlin Mayhew -- kmayhew@nvdaily.com

STRASBURG -- The Town Council and Planning Commission met for a joint work session Tuesday to discuss details and recommendations for the "Strasburg Community Plan."

The plan concerns future growth plans for the town of Strasburg, as well as surrounding areas and roadways.

The four main areas discussed were the U.S. 11-Interstate 81 interchange and corridor; the triangular area between U.S. 11, Va. 55 and Interstate 81; the industrial park area, and the downtown historic district.

In general, the plan shows the little change and minimal commercial uses at the U.S. 11-Interstate 81 interchange to preserve the "national park experience," Town Manager Judson Rex said during his presentation. The interchange is located close to the boundaries of the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park.

One planned change, however, would be to construct a pedestrian pathway along U.S. 11 to more simply connect the corridor area with the rest of downtown.

The triangle created by U.S. 11, Va. 55 and Interstate 81 is destined for dense residential development.

Rex said that this area will also provide most of the necessary land allotted to meet the requirements for the town's urban development area.

The state mandates that a certain amount of land must be set aside to accommodate residential needs 20 years into the future. In 2010, Strasburg's census count bumped up the requirement. However, this area, according to Rex, would make up a significant chunk of that if rezoned for denser development.

There was some discussion during the work session about the town potentially acquiring the quarry and designating it for "passive recreational uses." These uses could include building hiking trails, safety rails, and similar facilities for it to be used by the public, said Rex.
Councilman Robert Baker, for one, voiced his concern about liability issues for the town because the quarry is dangerous.

"The liability issues are atrocious," he said, citing in particular the drop behind the Hupp's Hill Museum.

Rex disagreed, saying he thought it could still be a good area for recreation, especially since it has very few options for use otherwise.

"Does it add liability to the town? Yes. But does it also add value? I think so," he said. "It could be turned into a resource if done correctly."

Rex said plans for the industrial park include negotiating with the county to rezone the area back to industrial from commercial.

"The main idea would be to use this as an employment center, focused on creating jobs," he said.

Plans for downtown include investing in aging infrastructure and improving public transportation and parking areas.

Rex said that he plans to incorporate the comments from Tuesday's work session into the plan before it is brought back for approval.

Rex also noted that a series of public input meetings should be held at some point in the near future, where residents could offer their own ideas and concerns about the plan.