Condo developer withdraws plans after BOA review

By Scott Nicholson

A proposed Boone condominium project went back to the drawing board Monday.

The Boone Board of Adjustment reviewed a special-use permit application for East Fork Village Condos Thursday night.

The project by Koehler Development would create 60 condominiums on a multi-family residential zone. Koehler sought a five-year vested right for the project, allowing it to build within that time frame.

The project is located at Chase Hill Drive beside the Boone airport. It’s also in a Watershed WS-IV Critical Area Overlay District. It’s in the town’s designated primary-growth area and is also bordered by town-homes, single-family homes, condominiums and the Boone Golf Course.

According to Koehler’s request, the condominiums would be two- or three-bedroom units. More than half the 8.5-acre property would be left undisturbed.

The town’s Unified Development Ordinance requires a special-use permit for any development of 13 or more units.

Environmental planner David L. Weakley submitted a report on the watershed issues with the property. Weakley said the plans showed elevations of the lowest floor would not be two feet above the base flood elevation as shown. He also asked whether changes to the property level would raise the flood elevation elsewhere in the South Fork of the New River.

The applicants withdrew their request during Monday’s meeting, with the anticipation of re-evaluating the plans and possibly submitting a revised application. Boone planner Ricky Hurley said it would likely be at least two months before the project returned for consideration.