Blowing Rock council approves conditional rezoning for Green Park Inn redevelopment

The Blowing Rock Town Council on Feb. 11 approved a conditional rezoning to allow redevelopment of the Green Park Inn property at 9239 Valley Boulevard into a 40-room hotel, 12 condominiums and four duplex cottages (eight cottage units), preserving part of the historic lobby and adding restaurant and event space.

Council approval came after a public hearing in which the applicant’s team described evolving design options and acknowledged structural and financial uncertainty in fully restoring the original hotel. The council’s action rezoned the site from R-6M multifamily to conditional general business and attached conditions including a density cap that allows up to 6 dwelling units per acre for a total of 20 residential units, parking sufficiency tied to final floor-area allocations, and several design waivers and requirements.

Rathrock, a town planning staff member who presented the staff report, said the applicant aims to “preserve the lobby portion of the existing inn and build [a] new 40 room hotel around that with additional restaurant and venue space.” He told council the project would remove nonoriginal additions, reduce impervious area in parts of the site and provide 51 parking spaces where the code-calculated requirement was 32, producing a described surplus of 19 spaces.

Chelsea Garrett, an attorney representing the applicant, said the design and program have evolved since the team first…