Loudon-Melrose/Shenandoah West

Loudon-Melrose/Shenandoah West Neighborhood Plan

City Council adopted an addendum (update) of the Loudon-Melrose/Shenandoah West Neighborhood Plan on August 16, 2010. The plan can be downloaded below:

Loudon-Melrose/Shenandoah West Neighborhood Plan Addendum (Update)

For more information, please contact Frederick Gusler at 853-1104.

The Loudon-Melrose/Shenandoah West Neighborhood Plan includes two distinct neighborhoods in the northwest of the City. Loudon-Melrose is one of several early suburbs of the City that developed after streetcar lines were constructed and downtown and the inner rung of neighborhoods began to build out. Most of the houses in Loudon-Melrose, between 14 and 24th Streets, date to the 1920s. The plan recommends that most of Loudon-Melrose be designated a neighborhood design district, an overlay zoning district with design regulations to ensure that the historic character of the neighborhood is maintained. Shenandoah West is the western portion of the area covered in the plan, from 24th to 31st Street. During the planning process, it was named after a subdivision in the area. It has historically not been recognized as a neighborhood, rather there are several communities within it, including two apartment complexes owned and operated by the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Lansdowne on Salem Turnpike, and Melrose Towers on Melrose Avenue.

Both neighborhoods are surrounded by major arterial streets with industrial and commercial development. In addition, 24th Street intersects the two and is a busy four-lane street with commercial development along it. The industrial district along Shenandoah Avenue and the railroad tracks is a viable part of the City's tax base, as are the commercial corridors of Melrose and Orange Avenues. The two neighborhoods together offer a wide variety of housing options with close proximity to a number of services. Residents are concerned with the quality of housing development, and the impact of industrial and commercial development. The future of the area will hinge on achieving a balance between quality housing development and minimizing the impact of commercial and industrial development.

Planning staff held five public workshops with the neighborhoods between spring and fall of 2002. City Council adopted the plan in December 2002. Loudon-Melrose/Shenandoah West is one of six neighborhoods that has been selected by City Council to be eligbile for future allocation of City Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. If and when the area is selected as a CDBG focus area, this plan will serve as a guide to the project.