Council books approval for hotel zoning request

Boone will have more hotel rooms after a Boone zoning change Thursday.

The Boone Town Council fielded a zoning change request for a proposed hotel site on N.C. 105, voting for an expanded project that has spent three years in the planning process. The council approved the project, which will pave the way for a four-story, 100-room Courtyard By Marriott.

Boone Five LLC requested a change of zoning for the property from a split of General Business and Single-Family Residential to Conditional Use Business, which would allow the LLC to move forward with the development.

The council received three valid protest petitions from surrounding property owners. The planning board had recommended approval with conditions, and the council re-opened the case for another public hearing.

Damon Malletere, representing Boone Five LLC, said the developers had agreed to many of the conditions voiced at the public hearing. “We believe over the past three years we’ve been working on this site, we’ve been accommodating the requests of the neighborhood to our economic ability,” he said, adding a half-million dollars’ worth of property to save green space.

He said the site was most suited for a hotel, and said if the hotel were turned down, it would likely be more severely developed for several different business.

Devin Staley, with Blue Ridge Engineering, said a proposed change to retaining walls wouldn’t be feasible.

“The retaining walls that are there will provide the best screening,” Staley said.

Project architect Bill Dixon said the developers had worked hard to address neighborhood concerns. “I’ve worked on many projects in the town of Boone for many developers, and these guys have gone overboard,” he said.

“When we are finished, I promise you it will look better than it does today,” Malletere said, noting that under the existing zoning, the trees could be cut within 25 feet of the property line. “If the answer tonight is ‘no,’ we won’t be back,” he said.

Lynn White, who owns a neighboring home on Wintergreen Drive, said design plans would have been helpful “many months ago when the project went from three floors to four floors.”

She said the residents were willing to live with a small, four-story hotel if a reasonable-sized berm was constructed to shield the neighborhood.

“We realize the property is valuable,” White said, but she challenged the notion that the project landscaping would shield the neighborhood.

She said the neighborhood’s recommendation would result in less work and a lower retaining-wall cost for the developer.

Jeff Allen, who owns Peabody’s Beer & Wine next door to the project, said it made sense commercially and would be good for the town.

Bob Schlagel, who lives near the project on the intersection of Highland Avenue and Wintergreen Drive, said it wasn’t a project he would embrace, but he conceded that it was better than other possibilities for the property.

Susan Owen, who had spoken against the project earlier, said she supported it now that changes had been made.

Council member Janet Pepin said the developers had put a lot of money into changing plans, and said the neighborhood concerns had been heard.

She said the neighborhood had compromised and the planning process had brought out a better outcome.

Council member Rennie Brantz said a balance had been struck that considered both the past and future uses.

“I think we’re becoming a model community and one of those attributes of a model community is working together to come up with solutions,” he said.

The council unanimously approved the project, noting the developer had attempted to provide buffered landscaping and the project would revitalize a property in an important commercial area. The council also accepted conditions that developers had agreed to meet in discussions with the planning board. It passed unanimously.

Appalachian State University requested a zoning change for a Depot Street property from Central Business District to University District. The Boone planning board recommended approval of the zoning change because it was deemed consistent with the town’s Comprehensive Plan.

The council approved the change, acknowledging the zoning change would keep it compatible with surrounding properties.

The council considered a petition for voluntary annexation of a property on the N.C. 105 Bypass. The half-acre property is owned by Brent and Pan Davis, whose septic tank had failed. They sought a connection to town water and sewer service. The motion was unanimously approved.

The council discussed forming a committee to address town plans for the historic Downtown Boone post office, which the town had purchased from the U.S. Postal Service. Brantz said there were a number of questions that needed immediate attention, but the council could discuss the post office during the town’s annual retreat early next year.

Brantz also introduced an internship of $500 for an Appalachian State University student to complete an inventory of historic properties in the town.

The council discussed establishing a sidewalk fund to create a comprehensive approach and priority list for sidewalk construction.

The council started the process to develop an amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance that would set a formula to collect and use the money.

Water and sewer director Rick Miller said October was the town’s peak period for water usage, with a maximum daily demand of 2.1 million gallons a day, or 400,000 gallons fewer than the peak from October 2007.

A group of residents on Gladys Street presented a petition about occupancy concerns in the neighborhood, which petitioners said would affect property values and quality of life.

The petition sought a “Neighborhood Conservation District” for the area, and the issue will now go into the planning process for review and consideration.