It seems like only a few weeks ago the entire area was filled with open or lightly forested land.

New Walgreens Under Construction. Located at the Corner of Wonju Street and Franklin Road in Roanoke (3/16/08)

Now, this area of retail space, named Ivy Market, features a Ukrops grocery store and a Walgreens is currently under construction.

And that’s not all.

According to a site plan for Ivy Market I found online, more retail and or office space may be in the works for the northeast section of the project. Due to constraints of building area, this development features a rather substantial underground parking system. A traffic light was also put into place at the main entrance.

I’m fairly young, but old enough to have faint memories of the Holdren’s store that used to be in this area. Roanoke continues to evolve.

Old Dominion Office Park Sign (3/9/08)

Loose gravel and a combination of orange construction netting and exposed dirt mark the proposed location of a new office park in Roanoke. The construction site is along Electric Road/Route 419, on the northbound side of the road, and around the 2700 block.

According to a sign posted at the site, six new office buildings will be available for lease or new owners. There was no expected project completion (or start) date on the sign, and currently only one small bulldozer is present at the site.

Olde Dominion Office Park Site (3/9/08)

These types of buildings seem to be constructed overnight, so I imagine any delay now is to give interested occupants the time to undergo negotiations.

Previously, this area consisted of forest.

Construction seems to be edging closer towards completion on a new office building around the 3100 block of Electric Road (Route 419) in Roanoke. The building is located across the street from the Roanoke County Public Library.

Windsor Hills Executive Building as seen traveling north on Electric Road (3/9/08)

According to a sign at the site, this building is one of four others that are ultimately proposed for development in this area.

The overall project upon completion will closely resemble a square, with a building near each of the four corners. (When facing the current building, another is slated for construction to the left and then 2 others behind each of those stretching away from Electric Road.) Parking in the middle and other perimeter sections will presumably be shared by all inhabitants.

Access to the office park from Electric Road will be via the extension of an existing driveway that now leads to a bank.  I’ll update this project periodically as other buildings are constructed.

Madison Field Development Sign (3/2/08)

Another new housing community is under development in Roanoke City on the north end of Brambleton Avenue, at the intersection of Overland Road. This one is across the street from Fishburn Park and named “Madison Field.” I gather the name at least partly stems from James Madison Middle School which is also across the street from this new development.

So far only one house is nearing completion in the area. But, several more homes are slated to be built and will form a row extending along a parcel of land that stretches to Welch Road. The community of houses will be predominantly surrounded by natural tree and shrubbery upon completion. Also, according to a preliminary site drawing, a focus of the community will be a rain garden located in the northern section. This development is under design to utilize various forms of green engineering in order to decrease energy costs, and overall lower any adverse effects to the environment.

Madison Field Development in Roanoke (3/2/08)

It appears most homeowners will gain access to their own private or shared driveway via the existing Martin Lane, which may also undergo some construction as a result of this development. Martin Lane is commonly reached by turning from Brambleton Avenue to a right on Welch Road, then another right. The southernmost house will have a driveway connecting directly to nearby Overland Road.

One such house for sale from this community with address 2321 Martin Lane was listed online and carried an asking price of $399,000.

This development has been added to the Update 30 list. This means I’ll be posting updates at least monthly, or as often as necessary to keep up with notable changes I see.

A new housing subdivision is under development along Grandin Road between the intersections with Mud Lick and Glen Heather Roads.

'Maple Leaf Farms' New Subdivision on Grandin Road (2/23/08)

Currently, only a single house is being built directly to the right of the entrance. But, a path leading to two cul de sacs is present and the entire land is clear and seemingly ready for building. There is enough available land for over 2 dozen rather large homes to be constructed in this area, perhaps other open lots are under negotiation. I did some searching for information on these homes and I came across one house listing on a Maple Leaf Court. The home features 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms and with a price tag of $699,000!

Maple Leaf Farms Sign at Entrance

A sign near the entrance calls the new development “Maple Leaf Farms” and boasts “Architectural Designs in the Tradition of South Roanoke.” I’m not sure at this point if a road in this new subdivision will connect with the existing Clairmont Road, which in-turn connects to Mud Lick Road.

(EDIT: The Maple Leaf Farms project has been updated for the following month of April 2008.)

This development has been added to the Update 30 list. This means I’ll be posting updates at least monthly, or as often as necessary to keep up with notable changes I see.

In a previous post I wrote about what appeared to be a new Little Caesars restaurant opening up along Brandon Avenue, across the street from the Towers Shopping Center.

New Little Caesars on Brandon Avenue (3/2/08)

I’m now able to say that this was confirmed as the sign on the front of the building has been put up.

It appears like the restaurant is preparing to open soon, perhaps by the end of March or sometime in April. I have also read that this restaurant will have a drive-thru window.

As a child back in the early to mid 1990s, I remember a restaurant used to be at Cave Spring Corners and my family would order pizza for pickup nearly once a week. Then, for several years Little Caesars had seemingly vanished from the Valley (aside from a couple Kmart stores I’m told) and now the restaurant is making a comeback.

There’s been more than one instance where I’ve found myself making a meal out of just 1 or 2 bags of Crazy Bread.

(EDIT 4/22/08) - The restaurant is officially open for business and does feature a drive-thru. 

Along Electric Road in Southwest Roanoke County is new building under construction. The building appears to be a bank or small office and is located across from the Promenade Park shopping center, and a short distance from the new Fink’s Jewelers near the intersection with Colonial Avenue.

I’m leaning toward it being a bank because the roof over what appears to be a drive-thru banking system can already be seen. This entire stretch of land across from Promenade Park has been just rolling hills of grass ever since I was a child. And now, as seen in the picture, the entire area is under construction and more is likely to be built in the coming years (or months). More on this later after a sign goes up confirming what business this turns out to be.

About a month ago, in a previous post, I wrote briefly about the ongoing construction off Keagy Road at the new site of Keagy Village. I have little extra to write at the moment, but I did want to update with a couple pictures I took this weekend. Most notably, the picture to the right shows the progress on a new building.

Keagy Village Development (2/3/08)

Keagy Village Building (2/3/08)