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 met with the town and emphasized that the developer’s “goal is to try to save as much of the existing lobby” while acknowledging that final restoration choices remain uncertain. Garrett said the team is pursuing careful, largely hand demolition and salvage work so that reusable materials can be recovered if feasible.

Bill Wharton, a development partner, described structural unknowns found inside the building and said engineers had flagged risk to the existing foundations if certain restoration approaches were attempted. “We're gonna give it a good try,” Wharton said of efforts to preserve lobby elements, “but we also're gonna do what's smart for us as far as our business.” Structural engineer James Tate provided a written opinion circulated to council outlining two conceptual options: attempting an encapsulation to keep original lobby walls, or reconstructing a replica of the lobby if preservation proved infeasible.

The applicant team supplied more specific program numbers during questioning: the property totals about 3.5 acres; the proposed restaurant and bar area is about 5,014 square feet, with an additional 2,079 square feet identified for event space; the hotel portion is reduced from earlier plans to 40 rentable rooms; and the residential component is 12 condominiums plus four duplex cottages (eight cottage units) for a total of 20 residential units. The team said stormwater detention, underground electric service, and new curb/gutter details are included in the site plan.

Council members debated design details and limits on future changes. The motion the council approved included conditions reported on the record: allow up to 6 dwelling units per acre (total 20), waive the 30% requirement for windows and doors on the first level, permit no sidewalk along Green Hill Road (but provide a pedestrian connection from Village Drive into the rear parking), require that the final parking count meet ordinance requirements for the defined uses, and allow the condos’ primary facade not to face the street as shown on the submitted site plan. The site plan and building elevations were made part of the approval; the council stated that any deviations from the approved plans would require return to the council.

Public comment at the hearing included speakers who urged strict preservation of the historic structure and others who supported the redevelopment as the only economically feasible path to avoid continued deterioration. Laurie Mulhern, who said she has been involved with the property, told council the redevelopment vision “is saving the Grand Dame again.” Other residents urged the council to add conditions to protect historic fabric; supporters thanked the applicants for taking on a difficult, expensive project.

When the council voted, the recorded votes were: Kat — yes; David — yes; Melissa — yes; Pete — yes; Doug Madsen, Mayor Pro Tem — yes. The motion passed unanimously.

The developer team and staff said lenders and final construction sequencing remain to be settled. The applicant indicated a likely financing strategy that could include selling condominium units first to help fund construction, and said they have obtained demolition and salvage cost estimates and have a purchase agreement nearly complete. Town staff and the applicants said certain technical studies remain pending, including soil borings, detailed structural assessment, and final architectural drawings to resolve building height and window details.

As approved, the rezoning establishes a conditional general business district for the parcel; staff emphasized the site plan, elevations and stated conditions are part of that approval. The council did not commit public funds to the project. Any required permits, final construction documents and code compliance reviews remain to be completed before building work can begin.

Votes at a glance: The council approved the conditional rezoning motion with five yes votes and no recorded no or abstain votes; conditions were read into the record and included in the motion.

The council moved on to other business after the vote; the applicant team said it would proceed to finalize financing and construction sequencing and follow up with town staff to address the conditions and remaining technical items.