Peabody Way officially received a name change after Roanoke City Council approved two new names for the streets going east to west and north to south at the Jan. 27 meeting.
What you need to know
The new names will be Monroe Avenue on the east to west section and Convention Way on the north to south section, according to city documents.
The previous name for the streets, Peabody Way, reflected the city’s partnership with a developer who planned to build a boutique hotel and convention center east of city hall, Community Impact previously reported.
The city’s partnership with the Peabody Hotel and Convention Center dissolved in December 2024 due to the COVID-19 pandemic delaying construction, financial impacts for the developer and the missed 2023 construction start date. The project was first announced in 2017.
The background
Since dissolving the partnership with the Peabody Hotel, council members continued pushing for a hotel and convention center just east of city hall.
On Nov. 12, 2024, Roanoke City Council approved a partnership with Garfield Public/Private for $400,000 to develop a design for a hotel, convention center and parking garage.
A bond was passed in May 2025 for the hotel and convention center, which did not raise property taxes for residents.
Additionally, council members approved the formation of the Roanoke Convention Center Local Development Corporation to aid with the development and financing of the convention center hotel at the Dec. 9 meeting.
Looking ahead
The street signs have been ordered and will take two weeks to arrive, said Shawn Wilkinson, Roanoke's director of public works. Once they arrive, public works will install it.
