By Matt de Simone
The Botetourt County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on Aug. 22 at the County Administrative Offices in Daleville that saw the board unanimously approve proposals for upcoming businesses and rezoning within the county.
In the Valley District, Martlet Group Properties LLC requested an SEP for Commercial Recreation Uses, Indoor, with possible conditions, in the Shopping Center (SC) Use District and Gateway Corridor Overlay District, at 2708 Lee Highway. The group purchased the Mountain View Plaza shopping center in 2021, renovating a vacant, 18,000-sq.-ft. section between the Dollar General Market and Elite Nails into a fitness center.
Team Botetourt Wrestling Club, doing business as “Botetourt Training Center,” operates a non-profit fitness center out of the facility. The proposal is for the space to house batting cages during training hours at the fitness center and weekly Bingo held in the building during hours when the fitness center isn’t in operation. Under county and state code, non-profit Bingo operations cannot be conducted more than two times every week.
The batting cages will have retractable nets that are lowered/raised from the ceiling of the facility with turf that will be applied in the area where athletes work on their hitting skills. There will soon be motorized pitching machines in the facility to aid with baseball/softball training.
Founder and Executive Director of the Botetourt Wrestling Club and James River High School wrestling coach Bobby Stewart, who noted “a massive demand for indoor batting” training, was on hand to explain the needs for the upcoming additions to the active training center.
“I moved back here in 2000 and I realized that there weren’t enough kids training for the next level (of sports), whether that is D-1 (Collegiate Division 1 schools), D-2 (Division 2), or D-3 (Division 3),” Stewart explained to the board. “Today, even trade schools have sports, and why? Confidence. The reason they (kids) don’t have confidence, they don’t have the training. The kids that did compete at those levels were overtly goal-driven or they had the funding to get the training they need… We have a lot in mind for the kids in our community.”
The suggested conditions noted include that commercial recreation uses are only limited to the tenant space (2708 Lee Highway), uses will be limited to Bingo and batting cages, and noises generated by the development will not violate the county’s noise ordinance.
Stewart noted that the goal of his group was to give back to Botetourt and assist in training the county’s student athletes. Roanoke Valley Star soccer and the Maroon Crush softball programs were inspirations in giving the group the idea to hold weekly Bingo fundraising events on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Residents shared their support for the training facilities efforts in bettering local youth on the field and in life.
One Buchanan resident shared support for the proposed Bingo club program and batting cages. “Obviously, it’s going to make it so that more kids can get involved, but there are other reasons Bingo is good for a community. It encourages social interaction… and when people participate in Bingo, a lot of times they can feel a part of a community and that can foster a sense of belonging.
“It’s a safe environment where everybody can get involved and enjoy the activity that is provided there. Regularly playing Bingo can keep your mind sharp and this can especially benefit our senior population. For parents, it’s going to make it more affordable for our kids to participate in wrestling or other sports. We can make our kids volunteer at Bingo and that teaches them responsibility and gives them a sense of ownership and helps them buy in more to what they are doing… Bringing Bingo to Botetourt would be a way to foster a stronger sense of community and to help more youth get involved and become more active, which I think is a win for everybody.”
Currently, the training center works with approximately 65 registered student athletes from Botetourt and surrounding localities. The center offers CrossFit, tumbling, wrestling, volleyball, and football training activities.
Supervisors Chairman Mac Scothorn noted that Botetourt “is absolutely in need” of a sports training facility like the one Stewart and his group offer student athletes in the area.
Photos courtesy of Botetourt Co.
In the Amsterdam District, a proposed medical facility at 1645 Roanoke Road in Daleville requested a Special Exceptions Permit (SEP) to help provide specialized services in Botetourt that would operate a diagnostic facility for an ADHD, depression, and anxiety testing and treatment planning. The layout will include a waiting room, an administrative office, and two exam rooms. The medical care facility will not allow a drug rehabilitation clinic. Any patient with a history of drug abuse in their medical records will be “screened out,” according to the notes provided by the planning and zoning representative.
The property’s current zoning (B-1) needs special exception to allow for a medical facility. The total space utilized by this use is 2,000 square feet, encompassing the entire downstairs portion of the building. The county’s Planning Commission voted unanimously in favor of the proposal during its August meeting.
The currently unoccupied location would house the facility on the first floor of the building. The lessee, Renew Psychiatry Services, will bring three staff members: Michie Bolden, a nurse practitioner based out of Roanoke, and two administrative staff members. Bolden estimates 8-10 patients visiting the site per day. Bolden explained to the board during the hearing that she will be practicing out of the Daleville location full time.
