Editorial
We’re trying not to be too disappointed in Buena Vista City Council’s rejection last week of a rezoning that would have allowed the beautifully restored Blue Ridge Abbey bed and breakfast inn to have additional bedrooms available for lodging.
City Council voted 4-3 to deny a request for a rezoning from R3 (residential limited) to MU (mixed use) so that the number of bedrooms available for lodging would have increased from 10 to 16. The applicant, Daniel De Souza, had originally planned to build eight Victoria-style miniature cottages on an adjacent lot that would have brought the total number of lodging bedrooms available to 24 on his property in the 2000 block of Sycamore Avenue.
Neighbors objected to having this large of a lodging facility in a residential setting so De Souza scaled back his plans, eliminating the proposal for any new construction. Under current zoning rules, the B&B inn is limited to having five bedrooms available for lodging in each of the two buildings – the grand 1903-era Victorian home with wrap-around porch, formerly known as the Jordan House, and an adjacent carriage house.
The former Jordan House has been operating quite successfully as a B&B since its restoration was completed last spring. The carriage house is in the process of undergoing renovations that are expected to be completed in the near future. De Souza had hoped to have nine rooms available for lodging in the former Jordan House and seven in the carriage house.
So, last week’s rezoning rejection means each house will be limited to having five bedrooms each available for lodging. It is our hope that this B&B enterprise will be successful and not have an adverse impact on the surrounding neighborhood. We agree with the neighbors that the addition of the cottages would have likely caused too much business activity for a residential setting but are in agreement with the three members of City Council who favored allowing the additional lodging rooms sought by De Souza.
The neighborhood currently has multi-family housing and two churches in near proximity and is only a couple of blocks away from downtown. So, a limited amount of additional traffic and B&B activity would not be out of place, in our estimation.
We believe Buena Vista is on the verge of a renaissance and that investment in such a resurgence ought to be encouraged. As Council member Ron Cash suggested, thinking outside the box is something that should be considered when novel ideas for economic development are forthcoming.
We commend De Souza and his partners for advancing this project and for another economic development project that is just now getting underway. His company, Top Quality Builders, just broke ground on Rooftop Terrace, a 15,000-squarefoot mixed use development that is going in and beside the Page & Sons building at 2013 Magnolia Ave., former home of The Buena Vista News and succeeding newspapers.
This project is to entail new downtown residential units, retail spaces for growing businesses, a restaurant and a gathering space for community use. “This project represents a new spark of life for Buena Vista,” said De Souza prior to the groundbreaking ceremony.
We share his optimistic view and hope others will join him in investing in the future of a more robust Buena Vista.
