“We need better parking; we need more parking.” This has been a suggestion reiterated for quite some time by many of the residents of Blowing Rock, according to the Sustainable Tourism Management Plan. This plan has been in the making for months and has finally produced an action plan that the teams agree is the answer for the issues the town faces.
Roger Brooks and his staff at Roger Brooks International have delivered the highly anticipated Sustainable Tourism Management Plan, where they addressed the parking issues within the city. Twenty-five recommendations were explained within the report; however, the true focus should be the five overriding elements currently taking center stage: “parking and traffic,” “pedestrian experience and safety,” transitioning “day visitors into overnight visitors,” bolstering the “shoulder season,” and “better communication with residents.”
While some residents are looking forward to expansion and improvements, some are not so thrilled. In the Citizen’s Input section posted in the Sustainable Tourism Management Plan, a resident commented that, “It’s starting to feel like the residents are an afterthought in the town’s decision-making. We shoulder the burden of higher taxes for plans to attract more tourists [via redevelopment] when many of us residents would prefer to see fewer tourists.” In the same online questionnaire, another resident said, “We absolutely love the beauty of Blowing Rock. We have become slightly frustrated with the overcrowding.”
The Plan states: “some feel that Blowing Rock suffers from over-tourism, but we found that not to be the case. Over-tourism is the inability to mitigate the effects of so many visitors that local businesses cannot accommodate them, lodging is at or exceeds capacity during peak months of the year, the environment is being overrun, and the infrastructure cannot handle the influx of visitors.”
The Plan surprised some when it stated, “Blowing Rock isn’t nearly as crowded” as some of the locals think it is. Could the lack of parking spaces and the congestion that is being created give the illusion that it is? The data Brooks and his team have gathered shows that the “largest infrastructure issue that is impacting Blowing Rock” is available parking. What Brooks is attempting to get many of the residents to understand is that Blowing Rock truly has the infrastructure to accommodate “local residents, workers,” [as well as] “visitors.”
Many of the residents and business owners have voiced their concerns about many issues, with parking being the common link in most of their opinions about solutions. According to the resident input section, one person suggested, “Growth is inevitable in our town, but we have to handle the pedestrians and parking issues!”
You can find many more suggestions about improving the city of Blowing Rock in the section titled Initial Ideas from Local Input within the management plan. Some residents offered ideas on how to tackle some of the other concerns the residents have about neglected or outdated areas. You can tell just by reading some of the comments that many encourage the added advantage that creating more services, recreations, and restaurants will have on the community.
Those from the Tourism Development Authority, along with Roger Brooks International, believe that they are doing just that: giving the city an advantage. Executive Director of the TDA Tracy Brown said, “We’re very pleased to have the Sustainable Tourism Management Plan finished and available to the public. This process has taken more than a year to complete and has really brought into focus the issues that we deal with throughout the year. The Roger Brooks team was very proactive in engaging the entire community as well as visitors to really understand what goes on here and where the problems lie. Roger has been able to create actionable plans for each of the initiatives he’s laid out and that’s something, for whatever reason, as a community we have not done. The idea of this plan was to get to the bottom of the issues some residents feel are causing friction, like parking or overcrowding. We want the tourism industry to benefit everyone in town.”
City Council and TDA members alike are happy residents and business owners are involving themselves in the process and the planning by making their thoughts known. They want residents to be fully aware of the vision, the mission, and the bottom line.
TDA Board Member Tim Gupton said, “We encourage the community to read the report in the context of the overall goal to implement a Sustainable Tourism Management Plan. The key to a successful outcome is to improve the quality of life for residents and the experience for visitors. To accomplish the goal, the outcome that Roger Brooks describes is one that solves our Congestion Problem and creates a village focused on people rather than cars. The solutions are interrelated to include paid parking, a parking garage, shuttle access, wayfinding and improved sidewalks in downtown. To me, the key to success is establishing the Destination Team to bring the community together and help the Town Council evaluate and implement the recommendations. When stakeholders listen and respect the viewpoints and experiences of their fellow citizens, I believe we can work together to make a long-term difference for Blowing Rock.”
The section in the management plan specifically for the residents’ comments is invaluable. Some said they are pleased that the council is interested in their thoughts. The discussions being raised in these questionnaires are important. In the report, you will find a variety of comments from those who say they wouldn’t change a thing, to those who think visitors need more entertaining things to do while visiting. The results show you that not everyone is against the plans for expansion.
When asked if there was anything that the local residents thought was missing from the management plan, some commented on the fact that “visitors needed evening activities.” It’s apparent that some residents feel the shops and restaurants close too soon. And those who encourage visitors and overnight stayers, feel this is possible if visitors knew there was something entertaining to do other than pace their hotel rooms.
The Sustainable Tourism Management Plan is extensive and very detailed. It summarizes months of meetings concerning the town’s landscape as well as its residents, and the best way to make Blowing Rock “bigger, stronger, and more desirable,” according to the focus and goals of the management plan. And the excitement seems to be spreading.
Mayor Charlie Sellers said, “I applaud the TDA for having the foresight to have a consulting firm look at our issues with tourism and how to improve our community for our citizens first. Some of the items that have been listed on the report have already been put into place or are going to be put in place, and the other recommendations from the consultant are being reviewed and whether they are feasible for our community and those that are…we will strive to implement as soon as possible.”
As stated in the Blowing Rock Action Plan, “all 25 recommendations made in this [Sustainable Tourism Management] Plan should begin to be implemented in 2022. Yes, you read that right. All 25 should be well underway this year. This does not mean all 25 will be fully implemented, but all of them should be underway.”
It’s probably safe to say that this project is bittersweet as some residents simply want improvements to their haven, while others are looking forward to the expansion and tourism. Brooks wants the residents to understand the plan’s bottom line: to improve the quality of life for those who call Blowing Rock home. Still, not everyone is going to agree. Sustainable tourism? Or an intimate community? Is it possible to have both? Roger Brooks International and the TDA believe that they can, and expansion is here. Whether the town is divided on where the focus should be, they are united in beautifying their town with “new sidewalks,” “more and better restaurants,” “park improvements,” and “general beautification projects,” which are just some of the things being suggested to make Blowing Rock a place they can be proud to live, invest themselves in, and watch the community evolve.
The full report may be found here: https://brcivic.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=850b32b819b6e2599673c0363&id=2a6414822c&e=c57c42183c
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