Consultants will give an overview of a plan to revitalize downtown Covington Tuesday.
The public will be able to preview the plans during an open house at the former Gordmans building on Main Street. The open house will begin at 6 p.m. and precede Covington City Council’s monthly business meeting at 6:30 p.m.
During the business meeting, a consultant from Head Down Strategies in Richmond will present details of the revitalization plan.
The Gordmans’ property, which has been vacant since spring of 2020, is one of the chief components of the revitalization plan. The Gordmans’ project is known as “Operation Sparkle.”
When Gordmans filed for bankruptcy last year and closed all of its stores, it left a hole at the western end of Main Street. Gordmans, which was formerly Peebles, was the main retail hub in the downtown area.
The city wants to transform the two-story building into the main attraction in the downtown area, which is now known as Olde Town Covington.
“Many residents expressed a desire to buy necessities … and support retail businesses in the process,” said a report filed by Head Down Strategies in the summer.
Consultants are recommending a blended use of the property, with a coffee shop, cafe, or a food market on the ground floor main entrance. The rest of the building could be occupied by an anchor tenant, such as a general store. The plan also makes mention of small offices and a gallery.
The street cafe would be used to provide activity and visual interest on the ground level.
Mast General Store in downtown Roanoke is cited as an example of a retail business that could make use of the building.
In a work session on Tuesday, Oct. 5, City Manager Krystal Onaitis said downtown revitalization is part of an overall economic development strategy for the Alleghany Highlands.
Onaitis said the Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Corp. is undergoing a “rebranding” effort. A new logo is being designed and the EDC’s mission and vision statements are being updated. A new website will also be launched.
“We want to have a new look and feel to help push the product we want to develop,” the city manager said.
Phase II of the Maple Avenue streetscaping project is now complete and city officials are starting preliminary work on Phase III.
Preliminary engineering and surveying for the replacement of the Rayon Bridle will begin soon, Onaitis said.
The bridge has not seen any major work in over 50 years, and load limits have had to be reduced due to wear and tear.
The Commonwealth Transportation Board included $10.4 million in the Virginia Department of Transportation’s six-year plan to replace the bridge.
Also at its work session, city council was updated in redistricting. Localities are required to review their election districts every 10 years, using census data. The most recent census was taken in 2020.
It shows Covington with a population of 5,737, which is 224 fewer people than in 2010.
Matt Miller of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, said Covington will probably not have to adjust its district lines due to little population variance.
“All of the districts, except District 4, lost population,” Miller said.
On the state level, a redistricting commission has until next week to adjust House and Senate districts in the General Assembly.
“From what I have seen, they will not split the Alleghany Highlands and they have no plans to split Covington,” Miller said.
Alleghany County, however, will likely face the prospect of adjusting some of its election districts.
“They may need to adjust at least three districts, I think. The northern-most districts,” Miller said.
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