I extend my gratitude to Council Member Cat Perry for her recent blog shared on social media titled “How to Destroy A Small Town’s Charm”. Her wise words caution the travails of maintaining a “charming” and historic town while negotiating the bumpy road of development. In Blowing Rock’s case, there are multiple projects in the pipeline of government approval, so the devil is in the details for these future buildings. Hopefully leaders can be counted on to hammer out contracts that will uphold Blowing Rock’s high standards.
With arguably two of the most important gateway projects navigating through City Approval, Mrs. Perry’s words could not be more prescient.
One is the redevelopment of the Green Park Inn. The developer seems to understand size and scale and promises to keep within the confines of the historic architecture while adding extra living quarters. Listening to him present to the town residents was reassuring.
The Shoppes at the Parkway was a different story. A similar large scale project, on the other flanking bookend of Blowing Rock’s downtown historic spread, this developer plans to radically alter the entire landscape of this existing retail center adding in the initial stages a large 34 unit condo complex on raw land, then stacking 3 or 4 stories on the existing shops.
Already the conceptual phase of the first building in a 14-acre project was approved by the City’s Planning Board with out-of-compliance factors (height and parking). Little is known of future plans for the remainder of this property; however, these developers were able to push through short-term rental entitlement with the Planning Board on this 34-unit residential complex.
Like every historic town, Blowing Rock has experienced development hiccups that stand out like tattoos to both residents and visitors. It’s to be expected and often these aberrations create a sea change in governance since building flaws are glaring and undeniable (except to the politicians who approved them.)
If you observe new construction in downtown Blowing Rock carefully, many fit nicely within the historic scale, however, there are other telltale signs of not well thought out buildings approved and permanently constructed.
For instance, behemoth size and scale juxtaposed to nearby historic one-story buildings of pedestrian scale as Council Member Perry noted degrade the overall collective bones of the historic landscape.
Also, buildings that defy proper setback and encroach on or spill over abruptly past it’s surrounding family of buildings are noticeable as well. Mrs. Perry’s photo of her vision of downtown historic architecture didn’t include any of the newly constructed tattoos.
Why? Because they don’t fit the surrounding environs. Over time, chipping away at Blowing Rock’s unique pedestrian scale either on Main Street or 321, diminishes the valuable asset of scale and space that draws thousands of visitors here.
Historic towns evolve into community assets for local residents. Homes, commercial buildings, even heritage trees become signature trademarks that define a town’s brand and are a form of investment equity enjoyed by all.
Eliminating historic buildings or downgrading these grand dames by cluttering the landscape with adjacent buildings that appear out of place based on size will chip away value in a city like Blowing Rock with extraordinary and irreplaceable famed assets of historic charm.
Blowing Rock is a unique oasis of pedestrian scale architecture on Main Street. The beautiful flora rivals the Spanish Steps in Rome; in addition, this tiny nook boasts an abundance of incredible untamed landscape and wildlife spilling over into the boundaries of this fine city. Who wouldn’t want to live here?
People flock here to enjoy these bygone characteristics of other Southern cities. And, developers are clamoring to cash in on Blowing Rock’s popularity as well.
The best way to keep the peace when towns face looming changes is to establish reasonable laws and elect council members who are strong enough to uphold them. Constant variances and special favors invite conflict among neighbors and will create entitlement battles for future councils.
The people who live here I hope will prevail in the decisions as Blowing Rock evolves and grows. Afterall, they are the stakeholders and should be listened to.
Written by: Sandy Sherrill Womble, Blowing Rock