Roanoke City Council on Monday night voted to deny a request to rezone 5060 Valley View Boulevard NW from Commercial General (CG) to Institutional Planned Unit Development (NPUD), a move that would have allowed a residential substance‑use‑disorder treatment center with up to 80 beds.

The proposal, brought by Mar Roanoke LLC with Baldwin Associates as agent, would have limited the NPUD use to a residential substance‑use‑disorder treatment center licensed by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS). The applicant said the renovated facility would create roughly 50 jobs and entail about $3–4 million in renovation costs. "This is a quiet, hospital‑like environment," operator representative Michael Rothstein said, describing a closed‑door program with 24/7 clinical staffing, transportation for admissions and discharges, and discharge planning linking clients to VAR‑accredited sober living.

City planning staff explained the rezoning request flowed from a 2024 zoning chart that categorizes high‑turnover, short‑stay residential programs as "regional housing services" and indicated that even if rezoned the use would still require a later special‑exception review by the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Opponents during the public hearing included Eric Seschow, president and CEO of the Roanoke Regional Chamber, who said the Chamber's objection was not to the services themselves but to the parcel's role as a gateway into the city and the precedent a rezoning would set for Valley View's long‑term redevelopment. Local hotel owners and hospitality representatives also expressed concern that locating an 80‑bed residential facility beside key hospitality properties and the airport could harm perceptions and revenues.

Councilors asked detailed questions about capacity, visible traffic, operator experience, and discharge procedures. Rothstein said clients would be prescreened, violent or severely mentally ill patients would not be accepted, visitors would not be allowed, and clients who left against medical advice would be returned via arranged transport.

When Council called the roll, Councilor Lisonbee and Mayor Cobb voted in favor; Councilors Powers, Hagen, Sanchez Jones, Vice Mayor Maguire and Nash voted against, defeating the ordinance. Following the vote, the council recessed for five minutes and moved to other agenda items.

What happens next: the denial leaves the property's zoning unchanged. The applicant may choose other locations or revise the proposal; any future rezoning would return to the Council and would still require special‑exception review for this use.