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Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Meets Tuesday Afternoon, ‘Drop-In’ Session To Discuss Downtown Blowing Rock Follows Council Meeting From 7 to 9 p.m.

Blowing ROck Planning

By Jesse Wood

Oct. 8, 2013. Blowing Rock’s Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee will meet before the regularly scheduled Blowing Rock Town Council meeting on Oct. 8. The steering committee meeting starts at 4:30 p.m. at Town Hall, which is located at 1036 Main Street.

Following the Blowing Rock Town Council meeting, the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee will host a “drop-in” session from 7 to 9 p.m. to discuss the long-term vision for the downtown area with members of the interested public.

Currently, the Town of Blowing Rock is undergoing the process of updating its 2004 Comprehensive Plan, which intended to serve as both a physical and policy plan to guide the Town of Blowing Rock’s future decision making concerning land use and development, preservation of the natural environment, recreation and cultural resources, economic development, municipal services, transportation, and regional cooperation,” according to a general description of comprehensive plans by Benchmark, a Kannapolis-based firm contracted to assist in the creation of the plan.  

Essentially this is a long-term plan to provide policy direction on what Blowing Rock will be like and how it will operate for the next 10 to 20 years. Planning Director Kevin Rothrock said that, for example, the creation of a parks and recreation master plan and a stormwater plan evolved from the work completed during the 2004 Comprehensive Plan. 

The beginning of the updated comprehension plan began in 2012 with a survey sent out to residents of Blowing Rock, which nearly had a 25 percent participation rate. Those results were analyzed and compiled by N.C. State University Center for Urban Affairs. 

The first draft of the updated Comprehensive Plan will be prepared sometime between November 2013 and January 2014 with public input on that first draft in February and March 2014. The final version of the plan will be prepared March through June – after which it will be adopted by June.

The “public visioning process” will continue in October with more public workshops to be held at Town Hall:

  • Tuesday, Oct. 15 – Existing Hospital Property (Two opportunities – 12 to 2pm and 7-9pm)
  • Tuesday, Oct. 29 – Valley Boulevard (Two opportunities – 12 to 2pm and 7-9pm)
  • Tuesday, Nov.  12 – Summary (meeting to be held following Council meeting)

More information about the Town of Blowing Rock Comprehensive Plan process can be obtained by visiting http://www.benchmarkplanning.com/blowingrock or by contacting the Planning Department at 828-295-5240.