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DOWNTOWN’S SIX DISTRICTS

CHAPTER 5

Catalyst: Draper Cultural District While the greatest catalyst for Draper is likely the improvement to the public right of way and street environment itself, the area including the bookstore site, the site to the north of the farmers market, and the Blacksburg Museum to the south hold the greatest potential for concentrated transformation. The block between Roanoke and Lee Streets, which includes the bookstore, could be assembled into a two-acre parcel and developed to include ground floor retail (perhaps still including the bookstore and/or the bank) and upper floors with Class A office space. This is a critical opportunity in enabling the Town to capitalize on the University’s investments in the CID and potential job spin-off potential. To the north a small food hall could be added to capitalize on CID traffic and nearby job density. To the south, around the Blacksburg Museum, additional museum/cultural amenities could be added to create a destination—a Museum Row—that celebrates Blacksburg’s history and culture.

POTENT I AL CATALYST

preservation

new construction & redevelopment

open space & streetscape

DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT SUMMARY

101 Downtown Blacksburg Strategic Plan

50k square feet

10k square feet

90k square feet

30k square feet

0.4 acres

Coworking and Incubator Space

Food Hall

Class A Office Space

Ground-floor Retail

Stroubles Creek Park