Voters to decide if Roanoke needs a convention center with $62 million bond election
Roanoke wants to build a convention center in its thriving downtown but voters will have the final say.
On Feb. 11, the City Council voted unanimously to call a $62 million bond election to build a convention center on 3.5 acres east of City Hall. A Peabody Hotel had been planned for the site, but the city scrapped the project following delays by the developer.
Election day is May 3 and early voting is April 23-29.
People can learn more about the bond election during a town hall at 7 p.m. March 4 at Roanoke City Hall, 500 S. Oak St.
City spokesperson Carissa Katekaru said voters should not see a property tax rate increase unless funds from four sources — including fees, the sales tax and the hotel occupancy tax — don’t bring in enough revenue to build the convention center.
Plans also call for a boutique hotel and a parking structure. Roanoke will seek a private developer for the hotel. The parking structure would be paid for with public works funds from Roanoke, she said.
If voters don’t approve building the convention center, the other projects won’t go forward, she said.
About seven years ago, Roanoke began planning for a convention center, Katekaru said.
“The Peabody was a piece of that component, but that project couldn’t move forward because of the pandemic,” she said.
Yet, the city continues to see growth, she said.
Last year, Roanoke, with a population of around 10,000, saw 2 million visitors, she said.
“It’s the last piece for our downtown area that would really tie it together,” she said.