Welcome to this issue of Roanoke Development Weekly: a quick look at what’s being built, opening, and changing across the Roanoke Valley.

Each week will be a short breakdown of the biggest updates + a few things I’m keeping an eye on.

Community Corner: The Wingstop gift card winner has been selected and contacted via email. Be sure to check your inbox as well as your spam/promotions folder. The winner will have 48 hours to claim the prize before an alternate winner is selected. Thanks to everyone who participated and shared feedback! Stay tuned for our next giveaway.

📈 Top Story: Walker Machine & Foundry Redevelopment Update

One of Roanoke’s most significant development projects continues to take shape as plans move forward for The Foundry, a mixed-use transformation of the former Walker Machine & Foundry property along the Roanoke River Greenway in the Norwich neighborhood.

I recently spoke with the development team behind the project and came away with one impression: this is much more than a typical housing development.

The site, which has sat largely vacant since Walker Machine & Foundry closed in 2019, represents the developer’s first project in Roanoke and one of the largest investments they have undertaken from start to finish. Their goal is to clean up and reactivate a long-dormant industrial property while creating new opportunities for homeownership, commercial activity, and future growth in the neighborhood.

What stood our most during our conversation was an emphasis on ownership rather than rentals.

Developers told me they see a gap in the local market for attainable homeownership opportunities and plan for the first phase of the project to include for-sale townhomes rather than apartment units. They are also exploring programs that could help qualified buyers overcome down payment barriers, including workforce housing initiatives that may provide up to $50,000 in assistance for eligible households.

According to the development team, the initial target demographic is households earning less than roughly 120% of area median income, creating a potential pathway to ownership for residents who may otherwise struggle to enter the housing market.

Beyond housing, the vision extends much further.

Current plans being discussed include the adaptive reuse of the approximately 16,000 square feet of existing industrial buildings, future commercial space, potential food and beverage concepts, and stronger integration with the Roanoke River Greenway. Developers also indicated that additional announcements are expected as plans continue to evolve.

Construction on the initial site work could begin as early as this summer. While developer portion of the project could be completed within roughly 12 months, full buildout will likely occur in phases over the next two to four years depending on the homebuilding timeline.

For a property that once served as one of Roanoke’s major industrial employers, The Foundry represents an ambitious effort to turn a dormant site into a new neighborhood focused on ownership, reinvestment, and long-term growth.

📈Roanoke Growth Tracker

Tracking 🟢confirmed openings, 🔵construction activity, 🟡planned projects, and 🔴rumored tenants across the Roanoke Valley.

🟢Crumbl Cookies (Old Country Plaza) - Mid/End July 2026

🔵Nothing Bundt Cakes (W Main St, Salem) - Summer 2026

🔵Academy Sports + Outdoors (Towne Square) - Fall/Winter 2026

🔵Kick Back Jack’s (Valley View Mall Vicinity) - TBD

🔵Wingstop (Lake Drive Plaza, Vinton) - TBD

🔵Publix (Route 221) - TBD

🔵Wawa (various locations) - TBD

🟡Wingstop (W Main St, Salem) - TBD

🟡Teriyaki Madness (W Main St, Salem) - TBD

🟡Dutch Bros (Hershberger Rd) - TBD

🔴Costco (Exit 150, Cloverdale)

🔴Dave and Busters (Valley View Mall)

Know a local business opening, expansion, redevelopment project, or rumored tenant? Reply to this email and let us know. This list will be maintained and updated weekly.

📅 This Week in Growth

Monday, June 8th:

🏛️ Roanoke City & Botetourt County Planning Commission Meetings

Monthly meetings covering rezoning requests, development proposals, and planning matters.

Saturday, June 13th:

🌭 Scalded Dog Hotdog Co x Crumbl Pop-Up

Lowe’s Bonsack • 11:00 am

🏈 B & C Sports Grand Re-Opening (featuring former NFL tight end Logan Thomas)

Valley View Mall (next to Foot Locker) • 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm

🍪 Rookie’s Grand Re-Opening Celebration

3549 Electric Rd • 1:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Know about an upcoming grand opening, ribbon cutting, development meeting or business event? Send it my way by replying to this email. This Week in Growth is built with help from readers like you.

📢 Opening Spotlight: Crumbl Update

Crumbl’s first Roanoke Valley location is getting closer to opening, and I recently had the opportunity to tour the future store inside Old Country Plaza and sit down with the local ownership team to learn more about the project.

For those unfamiliar with the brand, Crumbl has grown into one of the nation’s most recognizable dessert chains since launching in 2017. Known for its rotating weekly dessert menu, pink boxes, and massive social media following, the company has expanded to more than 1,000 locations across the country.

While construction is still underway, ownership is currently targeting a mid-to-late July opening, with early August remaining a possibility depending on final construction timelines. One question I wanted answered was simple: Why Roanoke?

According to ownership, bringing Crumbl to Southwest Virginia was a gradual process that began was stores in Lynchburg and Blacksburg. After seeing success in those markets, the team identified Roanoke as a natural next step and a market with significant untapped potential.

Choosing the right location was equally important.

Ownership said Old Country Plaza stood out because of its strong neighboring businesses, visibility, accessibility, and the size of the available space. Unlike many Crumbl locations, the Roanoke store will open with substantial production capacity and room to expand if demand exceeds expectations.

The store will be operated locally by Clay, whose family owns the franchise, and is expected to employ approximately 50-60 team members, creating a sizeable number of new jobs for the area.

One interesting takeaway from my visit was how much emphasis ownership placed on growth. The layout was intentionally designed to accommodate additional ovens in the future if needed, and the team expressed confidence in both the location and the Roanoke market.

While an official grand opening date has not yet been announced, storefront signage is expected once exterior work and window installation are completed. The store will host a friends-and-family soft opening before opening to the public.

For now, the construction continues to move forward, and if progress stays on schedule, Roanoke cookie fans may only be a few weeks away from finally getting their first taste of Crumbl.

I’ll continue tracking the project and plan to return for another update as opening day approaches.

🏡 Featured Property Listing Spotlight

This week’s Featured Property Listing Spotlight takes us to Botetourt County, where approximately 5 acres of commercial land at 3172 Lee Highway is being marketed for development near Exit 150.

The site sits within one of the region’s fastest growing commercial corridors and is just a short distance away from several projects being tracked, including Orchard Marketplace, Daleville Town Center expansion, and the area where a proposed Costco has been widely speculated.

Marketing materials suggest the property could suggest a variety of future commercial uses, including retail, restaurant, office, or service-oriented development.

With continued investment occurring throughout the Exit 150 corridor, sites like this often provide an early glimpse at where future announcements may emerge.

📍 Property Details and Photos

For additional information, site plans, and photos of the property, view the full listing here: 3172 Lee Hwy

Featured Property Listing Spotlight is a recurring newsletter feature highlighting notable commercial, residential, and industrial properties and development opportunities across the Roanoke Valley.

🏗️ Development Watch + Whispers

📍Confirmed / In Progress

🔦 Local Spotlight: Design House Fabrics

When Joann Fabrics closed, many local sewists, designers, and crafters were left wondering where they would find fabrics, supplies, and specialty materials in the Roanoke Valley.

For Terrisa Vaughn, it was an opportunity.

As a designer, seamstress, and crafter herself, Vaughn recognized the need for a local destination dedicated to fabrics, sewing supplies, and creative projects. In July 2025, she opened Design House Fabrics inside Valley View Mall with a plan to start small and grow alongside the community.

That growth came quickly.

Less than a year after opening, Design House Fabrics expanded into a larger storefront outside Valley View Mall in the former T-Mobile space near Barnes & Noble. The move provided additional room for inventory, improved accessibility for customers, and space to continue building the business.

I recently stopped by Design House Fabrics and had the opportunity to meet with Terrisa, who gave me a tour of the expanded space and shared the story behind the growth over the past year.

Today, the store carries a wide variety of products, including designer fabrics, formal wear materials, African prints, cotton fabrics, lace, upholstery materials, vintage patterns, sewing notions, and accessories. The business also offers custom dressmaking, alterations, and restyling services with continuing to expand its inventory based on customer demand.

According to Vaughn, the goal has always been to help fill the void by Joann Fabrics while creating a welcoming local destination for designers, seamstresses, crafters, and hobbyists throughout the Roanoke Valley.

Less than a year after opening, the move into a significantly larger space is another example of a locally owned business finding room to grow.

You can find more details, including days and hours of operation, at the Design House Fabrics Facebook page.

This won’t be the last Valley View Mall success story you’ll read about here. Several other growth and expansion announcements are expected in the coming months.

💬 Reader Responses from Last Week

Last week’s question asked about what new restaurant should come to the Roanoke Valley. Here are a few of the responses that came in:

💬 Reader Question of the Week

What local business would you like to see featured in a future Local Spotlight?

Just reply to this email. Community answers will be featured in next week’s issue!

About the Publisher

If you’re new to Roanoke Development Weekly, I’m Scott, a Roanoke native, Realtor®, and the creator of Roanoke Growth and Development.

What started as a small hobby project in early 2026 has grown into a community of thousands of local followers tracking new businesses, development projects, construction updates, and growth across the Roanoke Valley.

Each story, permit search, site visit, and newsletter article is researched and written by me. Thanks for reading and helping build this community.

Interested in supporting Roanoke Development Weekly? Reach over 400 local engaged readers each week through newsletter sponsorships, featured property listing spotlights, or local spotlights. For sponsorship information, simply reply to this email.

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic week.

-Scott

Facebook: Roanoke Growth and Development / Instagram: @roanokegrowth