OPENING SOON: The Embers Hotel about to join, impact the local economy

By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — If the devil is in the details, then so is the triumph.

Five years in the making and a COVID-19 survivor, Charlotte-based The Catellus Group celebrates this month’s opening of The Embers Hotel development in Blowing Rock.

Much of the town’s business community embraced the addition of The Embers to the local economy as a high-end lodging, restaurant and bar. Approval of the development was controversial, with the Blowing Rock Civic Association, for one, objecting to the size and scale of the hotel as well as decrying the town codes allowing for it to be approved by the board of commissioners and town council.

The two-part public hearing of which The Embers was the subject had historic and educational significance. Not only did the meetings draw attention to what some perceived to be weaknesses in the Land Use Code through which the development had to pass muster, and did, but it also provided lessons in municipal governance.

Namely, the sessions underlined that a public hearing is a quasi-judicial proceeding and that the “judges” — in this case the members of the board of commissioners and mayor — could not have any kind of communication, written or oral, with anyone outside of the public hearing. The only evidence or information they can use in arriving at a decision to approve or deny approval is what’s presented in the public hearing.

One of the sitting members of the Board at the time unwittingly disclosed that she had conversations prior to the public hearing as a sort of personal investigation. Consequently, when her conduct was exposed as a violation of the quasi-judicial process mandated by the State of North Carolina, she was given the opportunity to voluntarily recuse herself from the public hearing and any decision. When she refused to do so, it fell to the rest of the board members to vote, unanimously, to forcibly recuse her from the balance of the proceedings. To anyone’s knowledge, a forcible recusal had never occurred previously in Blowing Rock’s long history.

LOCAL IMPACT

History aside, it is important to look at what The Embers will be contributing to the local market, as well as to the town government.

1. The construction of the hotel replaces a vacant lot and two small houses, one all but dilapidated, on the 0.94 acres of land behind The Speckled Trout. Its location at the intersection of Yonahlossee Road (U.S. 221) and Morningside Drive now provides a transitional development between the downtown commercial corridor and the residential areas to the west and north.
2. Where relatively little in the way of property taxes was previously received by the town from the vacant lot and two aging, small houses, the construction of the privately owned hotel —at an all-in construction cost of several million dollars — means that the property will be adding significant annual property tax revenue to the town’s budget, reducing the potential need for raising property tax rates to provide other or upgraded town services.
3. The fact that the development is a lodging, restaurant and bar means that in addition to the property taxes, the business will also be contributing occupancy and sales taxes to the town and county. Those six percent occupancy charges to hotel guests will flow through the town, with one-third retained by the town for infrastructure improvements and the other two-thirds going to the Tourism Development Authority. The TDA monies may be budgeted for promoting Blowing Rock as a travel destination but can also be allocated to event-related expenses, such as Symphony by the Lake, Winterfest, and other local market-improving expenditures, with set asides for the TDA’s administrative costs.
4. The restaurant provides yet another breakfast place for residents and visitors alike, as well as for the hotel guests. At present, the only restaurant serving breakfast in town is Social on Main, although there are reports that the long dormant Famous Toastery may reopen this year.
5. For both travelers and other business folks, the Catellus Group managers have spared no expense in looking out for details in their guests’ lodging and dining experiences. That includes a “breakfast menu” from 7:00 am-1:00pm.
6. The hotel has provided the most advanced technical installations, including individualized power outlets for several laptop computers at many locations throughout the lobby, restaurant and bar. This includes complimentary, high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity everywhere in the hotel.
7. The outdoor patio and fireplace as well as the room balconies complement the ambiance of the hotel.
8. The hotel also provides ample parking for its guests and boasts a location from where those same guests can easily walk to other businesses in the downtown area, whether for shopping or alternative dining and entertainment opportunities. In short, by providing its own on-site parking, the hotel does not add to the parking problem identified in 2021 by the TDA and consulting firm Roger Brooks International.

After a tour of the facility in the past week, I am impressed by what the development will mean to Blowing Rock. For example, several movers and shakers from elsewhere in Watauga County shared their praise with me, looking at The Embers as an asset for their respective businesses as they look to recruit employees, customers, or partners.

For the remaining naysayers, I suggest you visit the property, maybe even have breakfast or dinner before passing final judgment — but enter with an open mind, casting aside any preconceived opinions.

We get it, that the size of the development basically built on elevated property to begin with might run counter to the “quaint village” look treasured by some. But Blowing Rock is in a historical transitional period. The forces of change wrought by improved transportation access to and from Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Raleigh, Hickory and elsewhere, as well as the growth of Appalachian State University, are unrelenting and even intensifying. Those forces challenge traditionally held viewpoints and values. How can we best manage change, take advantage of it, but still hold dear the village appeal? In my opinion, The Embers is an example of what can be effectively done as we meet the forces of change head on. From the external trappings to the landscaping, it is not a neon blight, but tastefully done in a way that complements — fits — the town.