The proposed Shoppes on the Parkway project is controversial for a variety of reasons, but I want to address just one of them…Architectural Design. It’s the part that most of us are going to be acutely aware of day in and day out and the part that is coming under such heavy fire that even the proponents will concede we could do better. Is it going to be a building we can be proud of, or will it be an eyesore that will grate on us for decades and set a low bar for future projects?
I was looking at the new fire station on 321 and admiring the combination of colors, materials and detailing. That was a masterfully designed building (imo). Likewise, we have several other well-designed buildings along the 321 corridor that are the foundation of a distinctive and classy bypass for our charming village center.
After driving by the promising Green Park Inn project, visitors will then pass our beautifully designed Country Club and outbuildings. Next they’ll see the log Furniture Gallery looking right at home in our mountain surroundings. The United Community Bank with its bark and timber exterior is representative of that style that is unique to our area and the little church building that houses My Mountain Home couldn’t be more quaint. So far I think most of us would agree we’ve done pretty well keeping a high standard of re-development along 321 . While some of these buildings are large, their scale is village in size and their style is in keeping with our town’s character.
Do we really want to follow that exemplary start with a mediocre behemoth that will dictate the styling for this entire project which admittedly has not been thought out past its first building? The board has called for future buildings on this property to match the style of Phase I. Shouldn’t that make it even more imperative that it set the bar high?
I’ve written our elected officials and asked Council to please require further design work on Phase I before approving the Conditional Zoning. There are lots of other questions that need answers including water and sewer capacity, parking provisions, excessive building height and Short Term Rental Restrictions, before granting the requested zoning change in my view. I hope my friends and neighbors will express their views as well. I’ve provided the email addresses below. The developers will present the request for zoning change to Council on Tuesday, March 11th at 6pm. Public input is allowed.
Blowing Rock deserves the best and I hope that Council will not settle for anything less.
Written by: Jamie Dixey
Mayor Charlie Sellers – csellers@townofblowingrocknc.gov
Mayor Pro-Tem Doug Matheson – dmatheson@tobr.us
Councilwoman Cat Perry – cperry@tobr.us
Councilman David Harwood – dharwood@tobr.us
Councilwoman Melissa Pickett – mpickett@tobr.us
Councilman “Pier” Pete Gherini – pgherini@tobr.us
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