Written by: Sam Garrett
The Blowing Rock Planning Board met on January 16, 2025 to discuss and vote on John Winkler’s request for a conditional rezoning of the Green Park Inn property. Board members heard presentations from town staff, Winkler’s legal counsel Chelsea Garrett and John Winkler. The meeting also included time for questions and answers and public comment. The Planning Board voted to approve the conditional rezoning request. If Blowing Rock Town Council approves it, the rezoning would allow Winkler to move forward with plans to remove sections of the property that were built in the 1920s and 1950s, renovate and save the original 1890s Green Park structure, add condominiums that face the golf course and construct cottages on what is now the south parking lot.
After the Planning Board meeting, the town released the following:
Official recommendation from the Planning Board to Town Council
On Thursday evening January 16, 2025, the Planning Board heard the conditional rezoning application request from Applicant John Winkler for the Green Park Inn property.
After reviewing the packet of information presented by Town staff, the presentation from the Applicant and his team, and accepting questions and comments from the public, the Planning Board made a recommendation to approve the conditional rezoning application for the Green Park Inn property by a unanimous 5-0 vote.
The Planning Board’s decision followed a public meeting that took place one week earlier. First, John Winkler held an information session at the Green Park Inn on January 9 to allow the community to hear the plans and to learn about why a change in the zoning is necessary. Second, the Planning Board met on January 16 to hear the official request for rezoning. During both meetings, members of the Blowing Rock community raised many questions which were answered during the meeting or in publicly available documents.
The primary access to the new condominiums, hotel and cottages will not be on Green Hill Road. Most traffic will flow in and out from NC Highway 321. Regarding community concerns about fire truck access after construction, town ordinances and the process of the fire department to sign off on the certificate of occupancy will require adequate access to provide fire safety in case of an emergency.
The Blowing Rock building code requires 132 parking spaces to accommodate the proposed project, and the current plan includes 151 parking spaces.
The new cottages and condominiums may allow short term rentals, at the buyer group’s discretion. The current plan, according to Winkler, is for the buyer group to manage the condominiums even though they may be sold to individuals. The current usage allows for short term rentals.
The proposed project will also impact Blowing Rock’s economy. Blowing Rock Town Manager Shane Fox explained the project’s anticipated revenue.
“For every $1 million in investment, the town would receive $4,000 annually,” said Fox. A $10 million investment would be around $40,000 annually in property taxes. The property is currently on the tax books valued at $2.6 million. Last year’s property taxes came in at just over $10,000.”
Based on these figures, if the buyer group made a $10 million investment, the property tax revenue to the town would increase from just over $10,000 to around $40,000 annually.
The questions that generated the most controversy addressed the new owner’s ability and plan to renovate the original, historic section of the Green Park Inn versus rebuilding a new structure inspired by the original structure. According to Will Miller, part of the group that requested the zoning change, it is difficult to know what can be done to save the historic property.
“We do not own the property yet,” said Miller. “We cannot cut into the floors and look into the walls until we own it. We are not exactly sure what we will find and what we will be working with. The cost to safe the original structure is a moving target until we get into it.”
Miller explained that since discussions began around six months ago, the plan was to renovate the entire structure including the 1950s golf wing and the 1920s south wing. As the group considered renovation expenses and requirements, they realized that renovating the entire property was not a good business decision and they committed to saving the original 1890s structure only.
“Lots of time and money has gone into figuring out how to preserve and keep as much of the history as possible,” said Miller. “It will be very challenging to preserve the history.”
Blowing Rock community member Linda Laughter has been one of the most vocal opponents of the rezoning request. She attended and spoke at both January meetings and conveyed her belief that The Green Park Inn is part of Blowing Rock’s unique appeal.
“People move to Blowing Rock because it does not look like everywhere USA,” said Laughter. “Blowing Rock is different. It has charm. The first thing you see when you come into Blowing Rock is the Green Park Inn. It’s a historical place and I want it to remain a historical place.”
Social media comments about the meetings pointed out the terminology used to refer to the project during the January 9 Green Park meeting was different than during the January 16 Planning Board meeting. Speakers at the Green Park meeting used the term ‘renovate’ which was replaced by the term ‘reimagine’ during the Planning Board meeting. Laughter also referenced a transition from talking about the old lady to the new lady.
“At the meeting at the Green Park they talked about restoring the old lady,” said Laughter. “At the Planning Board they talked about the new lady on a concrete floor. I knew then they are going to bulldoze it. They were not acting like they did at the Green Park meeting. It was quite obvious at that Planning Board meeting they had no intentions of saving it.”
The buyer group has mentioned the possible need for a concrete floor to support the structure, according to Lorry Mulhern, current general manager at the Green Park.
“The existing floor in the basement is currently nothing more than dirt,” said Mulhern. “Pouring concrete will only reinforce the existing structure.”
Laughter is not convinced the project should move forward.
“Blowing Rock is an extremely small town,” said Laughter. “So much of our history has been torn down; I don’t want to see any more of our historic town torn down. I would like to see Blowing Rock fight it. It breaks my heart. Town Council should absolutely not approve the zoning change as it is. When it’s all said and done, there won’t even be a new lady. All of the charm as you come into Blowing Rock will be gone. I don’t want Blowing Rock to become everywhere, USA.”
Town Manager Fox explained there is not a plan to rebuild the original 1890s structure. The current plan is to demolish the sections that were built in the 1920s and 1950s and renovate the original structure.
“The project has been fluid from the beginning discussions with the applicant as the applicant has been working through their due diligence,” said Fox. “A series of changes have been discussed from the beginning including trying to save as much of the building as possible.”
Mayor Charlie Sellers reported his understanding that the buyers will renovate, not replace the original structure.
“As a citizen with a lot of history here, with my family growing up here and as mayor, I feel like the Winkler group will purchase the Green Park Inn, take it to the next level, and I feel confidence that they will renovate the main structure thus enhancing the new parts of the facility which will take the Green Park Inn to levels it has not seen in the past,” said Sellers.
Steve Irace, the current Green Park Inn owner, stated his belief that Winkler will keep and renovate the original structure.
“I would be very disappointed if they didn’t renovate the original building as they promised,” said Irace.
One option to guarantee the original structure would be renovated rather than torn down and reimagined would be for the Town Council to add the preservation of that structure as a condition in the conditional zoning approval, which Town Manager Fox said could happen.
“Both the property owner and the Town Council must agree to the conditions put forth,” said Fox. “With conditional zoning, the property owner or/and the Town can set forth conditions as part of the project, but both parties would have to agree in order for it to be approved officially. The Town and the property owner would both have to agree, or the project would not move forward without modifications and resubmittals.”
Will Miller responded to that possibility.
“Town Council making something like that a condition of the zoning is pure speculation,” said Miller. “We cannot say at this time. We simply don’t know what we will find when we get into that building.”
The next Blowing Rock Town Council meeting will be held at Town Hall at 6:00 p.m. on February 11, 2025. The agenda for that evening was not published at press time, but the conditional rezoning of the Green Park property is expected to be on the agenda.
Charlie Ellis and Company played music at the Green Park Inn on the evenings of January 24 and 25and Steve Irace welcomed many longtime friends and guests as the community said goodbye to the Irace family’s ownership of the property. The Green Park Inn bid farewell to its last guest on Sunday, January 26. Several members of the current staff will remain housed at the Green Park throughout the transition as they prepare for the ownership change.
“I am very proud that Gene, Lorry and I could save the Green Park over a decade ago and am excited to hand it over to Winkler,” said Irace. “The Green Park is a special place.”
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