By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — In spite of numerous speakers from the floor objecting to an ordinance amending the town’s Land Use Code pertaining to building heights, street setbacks, and other dimensional criteria in the central business and town center districts, Blowing Rock’s Board of Commissioners voted, 4-1, to approve its passage.
The stated need for the ordinance and the resulting changes to the Land Use Code originated with Town Council’s desire to evaluate and clarify some of the development standards in the downtown area. While the process actually started as early as 2018 when changes were first proposed but voted down, successive commissioners have continued to endorse the need for clarification. There was discussion at the 2022 Winter Retreat about forming a subcommittee comprised of commissioner representatives, planning board members, and other members at large. That subcommittee was formed in October 2022, expanded the following month and, in the spring of 2023, public notices were sent out requesting input on what people liked and didn’t like about the downtown district.
While the subcommittee pressed “pause” on its work in the summer of 2023, deferring to the completion of the town’s Comprehensive Plan update, it restarted its deliberations in April 2024.
According to town manager Shane Fox and the subcommittee chairman Chris Squires during the meeting, the group of diverse individuals have met eight times after their April restart, providing updates at the Council’s Summer Retreat and at the State of the Town event in mid-August. The subcommittee formally presented a “draft” of their proposed ordinance to the Town Council on Sept. 10, at the regularly scheduled meeting.
Town manager Shane Fox began the discussion by addressing what he termed misinformation by folks claiming that the town lacked transparency, with some of the critical remarks aimed at specific members of the town staff or the governing body. He reviewed the timeline of the project and the steps taken by the town to disseminate the necessary information.
The chairman of the subcommittee, Squires, then spoke about the processes and procedures undertaken by the subcommittee, describing its composition as from individuals with very different backgrounds and priorities.
Many of the speakers from the public who followed asked for the commissioners to table any decision until a more detailed study had been performed, including the hiring of a professional planning firm. Several advocated for the commissioners to consider the town’s applying for designation as a downtown historical district.
Commissioner David Harwood moved to approve the ordinance as presented, with Commissioner Doug Matheson seconding the motion. Commissioner Cat Perry was the lone negative vote, citing during the discussion period many of the same arguments as the public speakers.
A principal change is adopting new zoning districts, including Town Center-East, Town Center-West and Town Center-Sunset, each with different standards for building height and setbacks, with other issues considered and recommended in the future.
Pine and Laurel public hearing
A public hearing request for rezoning the 0.29 parcel known as “Pine and Laurel” from what was approved as a 14-room hotel in 2021 to Conditional Zoning – Central Business (CZ-CB) for a similar development but as eight townhouses took center stage on Nov. 12 at Blowing Rock’s regular monthly meeting of the Board of Commissioners.
The project received the blessing of the Blowing Rock Planning Board on Oct. 24, but met some challenges when brought before the commissioners for official approval by the town.
Mayor Charlie Sellers and Commissioner Cat Perry had concerns about the height of the building, at slightly less than 40 feet (39 feet, 10 inches), for the middle two units of the townhouse development.
Commissioner David Harwood noted that while some rooms in the individual townhouses are shown as something other than bedrooms, the owners of the townhomes might be tempted to use them as such. For purposes of short-term rentals vs. the town code’s parking requirement relative to the number of bedrooms, Harwood wondered what the Town’s recourse would be if an owner advertised a townhome as having two or three bedrooms when the original plans stipulated that it was a one-bedroom townhouse. Town attorney Tucker Deal responded that especially where an owner advertised in such a way, the town would have legal recourse to address such a violation.
After closing the public hearing, Commissioner Melissa Pickett asked for and received confirmation from Planning Director Kevin Rothrock that the building height and the proposed exterior colors for the project fall within the town code.
Commissioner Perry also asked about the rationale for the front of the townhomes facing the back of the small shopping center on Main Street with the back of the building seen from Wallingford. A representative of the developer explained that the the entry point off of a one-way street, Pine Street, coming from Main Street and an exit onto Laurel Lane’s eastbound lane helps shield the more residential area along Wallingford from any increase in vehicular and foot traffic to and from the development.
Commissioner Pete Gherini asked about the timeframe for the project and was told that they wanted to get underway as quickly as possible, that construction would most likely begin in the spring.
Attorney Deal interjected that while the developer has indicated their willingness to make certain landscape improvements in line with the neighboring property owner’s request, if the Town Council wants to make that a condition for approval then they needed to formally make it part of any motion to approve.
Commissioner Harwood moved to approve the project as submitted, without the condition of trees being replaced on the neighboring Devore property.
“My concern is for this property,” said Harwood, indicating that the trees to be replaced on the neighboring property is a private matter between the two property owners.
Seconded by Commissioner Doug Matheson, the motion to approve passed, 4-1, with Perry the lone negative vote.
Shops at Watership Down
The original public hearing on the proposed development by David Reule was during the regular monthly meeting on Sept. 10. After hearing the various objections, Reule went back to the drawing board and came back with revisions that most notably include replacing what he had proposed as flat roofs on some of his buildings to all having pitched roofs, thereby eliminating the need for a variance allowing a flat roof on those buildings. His special use permit application has been amended to reflect the roof redesign. Additional language requires that landscaping be planted in the ground as opposed to planters, along with the original variances requested relating to the building footprint, setbacks and building uses.
The application was approved unanimously.
Other Business
- Town Manager Shane Fox relayed staff’s recommendation for the Winter Retreat being held on Jan. 29, 30, and 31, in the American Legion Building, for which there was general concurrence by the board members.
