by The Roanoke Tribune Staff
Melrose Plaza opened in Roanoke to much fanfare July 31, 2025. It was a day that transformed a northwest community. The sprawling $30 million facility rose as an oasis that continues to provide an array of resources for a thriving community – previously considered underserved.
Among the plaza’s amenities are: Market On Melrose – a full-service grocery store, Bank of Botetourt – a fully operational banking center, The Excel Center – an adult high school and a wellness center operated by several local health partners.
Angela Penn, president and CEO of Total Action for Progress (TAP) is one of the many residents of this vibrant northwest community who has been an ardent supporter of Melrose Plaza since its inception.
As TAP president, Penn hosted a delegation of a select group of approximately sixty talented professionals with the Lead Virginia Class of 2026. Lead Virginia is a state-wide high level non-profit organization based in Richmond, VA that engages participants in a deep dive traveling about the state examining entities and issues that promote the economic, educational and health of communities in the Commonwealth.
The group’s day-trip held June 11, involved a tour of Melrose Plaza, after which participants assembled in the plaza’s main lobby for an afternoon discussion moderated by Penn.
The discussion involved four panelists, Dr. Liz Ackley who appeared via zoom; Richmond Vincent, president, Goodwill Ind.; Helen Ferguson, Strategic Programs Manager, City of Roanoke and Roanoke Tribune publisher Stan Hale. The comprehensive talk delved into a host of issues about the plaza and the efforts and research that lead to its inception.
Dr. Ackley is a passionate and well-versed researcher who is professor of Health & Exercise Science and director of the Center for Community Health Innovation at Roanoke College. In 2017 she joined a group of northwest community-minded advocates and together they led the initial efforts that ultimately launched the development of Melrose Plaza.
“The conditions that got us here exist in communities all across Virginia, “said Ackley explaining the focus that led to the vision for such a mammoth project. “Unlike the communities that many people are fortunate to come from, this northwest community experiences geographic concentrational health inequities. In Roanoke some disparities are so stark that in some neighborhoods 54% of school-age children are already overweight or obese by the time they hit the fifth grade compared to only 15% in other neighborhoods.”
Through a comprehensive delivery throughout the discussion Dr. Ackley went on to expertly detail the research and implementation path that led to the plaza’s development.
Speaking on the participation of local residents Hale briefly referred to the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) public meetings held in 2018 that involved a sizable number of local residents who engaged in overseeing detailed plans for upgrading the northwest neighborhood streetscapes, housing and public services. The meetings were held at what was then Goodwill’s offices located at 24th St. and Melrose Ave. which later transitioned into what is presently Melrose Plaza.
“As a person who grew up in this neighborhood I found the CDBG meetings extremely significant, very encouraging and instrumental to the development of the neighborhood,” said Hale. “I was very proud and grateful for the City’s efforts in collaborating with Goodwill for something that clearly showed an interest in our community.”
Hale emphatically mentioned his allegiance to the plaza referring to himself as a “Melrose Plaza fanatic,” who sometimes frequents the facility two to three times a day. “This place is very personal to me and for many of us it’s sacred,” he said.
Richmond Vincent opened his remarks reflecting on his arrival as president of Goodwill in 2021 and elaborated on the bold decision to convert the organization’s headquarters into a full scale neighborhood resource center.
“I had been on the job maybe two months and these three ladies came into my office, Liz Achley, Marian Ware and Cheryl Mosely,” Vincent remembers. “They wanted me to open a grocery store. Keep in mind, folks, we’ve never operated a grocery store in our entire history.”
Vincent explained how the initiative became a catalyst for Goodwill to “do something different in order to transform the northwest community.” The decision became a firestorm throughout the board and beyond.
For several moments Vincent continued to speak to the risks the organization faced in pushing the plan to fruition.
First came the transformation and “retooling” of the entire organization regarding its twenty-six services across the region, for youth, adults and seniors. “We served them all and we were doing a great job but it wasn’t changing the fabric of this community at large,” he said.
Running with that focus, change came in the form of Melrose Plaza born through the collaborative efforts of a coalition of contributors led by the tenacity of three very concerned advocates and the innovative spirit of a leader willing to make the dream a reality.
“We need to make sure we sustain this plaza for the long term,” Vincent boldly stated.
During her remarks Helen Ferguson spoke on the City’s position as a major contributor to the project.
“For this particular Melrose-Orange target area we at the City figured it was the right time to show a commitment to the area, we had the time, the money and the resources. Why not do it now, it was the perfect timing,” she said.
In bringing together its resources the City formed the 36-member Star City Strong Advisory Committee which involved a number of community members who in turn made the decision to support the plaza project because it “touched on all the initiatives that the city really wanted to accomplish,” Ferguson said. The measure passed through Council, the $10 million funding was secured and the plaza was in play.
Throughout this most enlightening two-hour discussion members of the Lead Virginia Class sat in awe listening to stories of a community in transition. Without question they pondered the various informative testimonies from the panel proudly seated under the extraordinary glow of the Sankofa ceiling at Melrose Plaza.
