This sign was a collaborative project between the Southeast Neighborhood group, the Western Virginia Water Authority, and residents of the area. The idea started with Virginia Tech alum Heather Lyne, who interned with Susan Jennings who was the city of Roanoke’s Arts & Culture coordinator. Lyne researched public sentiment towards art on the Greenway and that resulted in a “community-led-up project aimed at celebrating neighborhood identity,” said Western Virginia Water Authority in a news release. Lyne contacted Sunni Purviance, the LOVE SE Project lead and member of the Southeast Action Forum, who came up with the idea of creating the free-standing “Love SE” sign. Purviance organized six community paint sessions with residents from southeast Roanoke. Each person was asked to paint a representation of a place they loved in southeast Roanoke on 3x3 inch wooden house-shaped cutouts. From this, about 300 houses were painted and mounted on the letters. "The L-O-V-E sign represents community residents, volunteers and businesses coming together in a participatory nature to celebrate the southeast Roanoke neighborhood," the Western Virginia Water Authority said.

Sourced from:
WSLS 10: New 'L-O-V-E' Sign Dedicated on Western Virginia Water Authority Property"