Lonesome Pine Regional Business & Technology Park


CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

The 195-acre Lonesome Pine Regional Business & Technology Park is planned as a high-amenity working environment, where the business center contributes to the health and welfare of employees. This concept is derived from the goals of maximizing the employment potential of the Mountain Empire region while utilizing the present scenic resources. Master planned for flexibility, the Park features an education service and child care oriented Town Center, a clear circulation pattern and a substantial allocation of space to recreation areas and greenways, allowing for each parcel to be endowed with mountain scenery, greenway connections and pedestrian connections to the Town Center and other amenities of the Park. 

Six exhibits are included in this report and are located in Appendix A. Two of the exhibits are the Overall Site Schematic and the Infrastructure Schematic, which depict the potential layout of the Park when fully developed and the infrastructure required to support the full growth of the Park, respectively. The four remaining exhibits are artistic renderings of different facets of the Park. The renderings include an Overall Site Perspective which gives an aerial view of what the Park may look like when fully developed and a Town Center Perspective. The two remaining renderings are of typical small and large parcel developments, entitled Site Perspective Parcel 4 and Site Perspective Parcel 1, respectively. Greenway axes connect the Town Center to the recreation areas, incorporating greenway trails and underground utilities along these buffer corridors. The recreation areas on each end double to serve regional stormwater detention and water quality objectives, while adding significant amenity value of their own.     

A central circulation artery traverses the site in a south to north alignment. This road is designed as a boulevard, with a 30 foot median through the Park that is sufficient to allow for large trees. Setbacks from this boulevard are 100 feet on either side, allowing for significant meadow development as a theme for the Park. 

In order to connect the Park with U.S. Alternate Route 58, Clinch Valley College and the Town of Wise, a new connector road is proposed, entering the Park from the west, along the northwest corner of the property. This road, along with the transportation considerations of the potential traffic to the Park, has been investigated in another study. This feasibility study was prepared by Maxim Engineering, Inc. in December 1998 for Wise County and the LENOWISCO Planning District Commission. This road is located within the property to allow for double-loaded development, while to the west it scales a steep ridge, with dramatic views of the western recreation area before moving out of the property. 

Utilizing the alignments of the central boulevard and the connector road, a West Loop Road is fashioned through the Park. This road will serve as the service entrance to parcels 1 and 2, and the Town Center, and will function for both employee and service entrances to parcels 3 - 19. 

The outer parcels, 1, 2, 3 and 14, are the backbone for the Park, and compose approximately 65% of the business land allocation. These large parcels are strategically located on the outer perimeter of the Park, as businesses interested in these parcels will be more self-contained and need room for expansion. Parcels 1 and 2 are allowed to have customer and employee access onto the boulevard. These parcels are located near the eastern and western recreation areas, to provide recreation relief for large numbers of employees during short breaks.

Within the design of a business park master plan, flexibility is the key to the success of the business. With this in mind, the inner parcels are designed from 1.5 acres to 4.4 acres in size and can be linked through a "flex-block" process. For example, one block would include parcels 4, 5, and 6 and 7, 8, and 9 another block; 10, 11, and 12 comprise a third block; 14, 15, 16, and 17 comprise a fourth block; and parcels 18 and 19 for the fifth parcel block. This allows for a number of businesses to be sought, not relying on size. The parcel can be as small as 1.5 acres and the combinations provide for sizes comparable to the larger outer parcels if needed. It should be noted that parcels nearest the Town Center are most appropriate for smaller businesses as these need most of the services of the Town Center. Design guidelines for parcels 4-19 include: 

• Placement of the main building of the parcel toward the loop road.
• Placement of parking behind the Town Center, toward the airport or toward the southern boundary of the property.
• Service docks, dumpsters or other detractors are sited out of view from the greenway and boulevard and other visitor drives.
• Greenway linkages will be provided to allow outer parcels access to the Town Center. 
• Placement of the buildings on parcels 4 - 9 should be sited toward the loop road. 

The Town Center is a 20,000 square foot hub located just west of State Route 723 in the center of the Park. The Town Center serves as a retail focus for the Park and for this part of the County. Businesses in the Center could include a copy, fax, parcel, and mail center, restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques and other establishments to support the work force. 

A village green is sited in the middle of the Town Center with greenway linkages on axes east and west to both large recreation areas. Parcel 6, the training center parcel, is sited to share parking with the Town Center. It may be noted that the training center could be located within the Town Center during the initial development of the Park and moved out to Parcel 6 as the Park grows and a larger space is needed. Parcel 13 is ideally suited for the day care facility as it has the Town Center, education center and the western recreation area ties. The architecture of the Town Center is designed with reference to turn-of-the-century commercial buildings found in local commercial areas such as the City of Norton and Town of Wise. Large drop-off loops for visitors are available at both the eastern and western ends along the greenway. A clock tower and a large fountain are theme elements and arcaded spaces link retail out of the weather and link greenways to the central parts of the Park.

Two large recreation areas, identified as the East Common and the West Common, are placed on the far eastern and western ends of the Park. The Overall Site Schematic in Appendix A shows the location of the East and West Common areas in relation to the Park boundary. The West Common is envisioned as a rustic nature recreation area potentially featuring a three-acre lake, amphitheatre, picnic area,  scout camping area and playground to coincide with the child care facility. The East Common is foreseen to be a sports and recreation area with baseball fields, soccer fields, group picnic facility and access trails. Together, these areas and their  associated greenway buffer areas use approximately one-third of the Park acreage. This acreage is high in amenity value but low in development potential for business uses. Stormwater management is also a part of the program for these areas.