Blowing Rock council approves phase 1 of Shops on the Parkway with added parking condition

Blowing Rock’s Town Council voted to approve a conditional rezoning for phase 1 of the Shops on the Parkway project on Aug. 12, allowing three new condominium buildings that reduce the originally proposed 34 units to 27 and require design, landscaping and parking changes.

The decision, approved by voice vote after a motion and second, included a staff-recommended condition that increased required parking from the applicant’s proposed 61 spaces to 64. Council recorded four votes in favor and one opposed.

Applicant and staff said the revision responds to council direction from a March hearing. Kevin Rothrock, the town’s zoning administrator, told the council the applicant has split a previously proposed 400-foot building into three structures of about 96 feet each and reduced unit count from 34 to 27. He said revised materials move away from heavy stucco toward board-and-batten siding, stone and architectural roofing accents.

The applicant described phase 1 as limited to the three residential buildings on the western end of the shopping center; any future phases would require separate planning-board and council review. An applicant representative said the conditional rezoning allows the town to consider phase 1 without approving any later phases: "If you don't like what we've done so far, you don't have to approve it — nothing else is built unless it comes back before you," they said.

Staff and the applicant explained parking and stormwater provisions: by code the proposed unit mix (21 two-bedroom and six three-bedroom units) would require 64 spaces; the applicant requested a uniform standard of two spaces per unit and proposed 61 spaces but agreed to the council condition to provide 64 spaces. Staff also described stormwater controls including bioswales and a requirement that there be no net increase in runoff.

Council discussion touched on building height and a minor variance sought for the center building (a roughly two-foot roofline/peak variance tied to the dormer design). Staff noted the rezoning would carry a standard two-year vesting period under state statute, with site-specific options available by request. Another staff condition says that if the applicant constructs phase 1 but does not proceed with later phases, the remainder of the shopping center must be upfitted to match the phase 1 exterior within 36 months of the final certificate of occupancy.

Public comment at the meeting included residents’ concerns about density, materials, and the overall scale of short-term rentals and hotel rooms in the region; the applicant and staff repeatedly emphasized that future phases would require separate approvals.

The motion to accept the application as presented, with the parking condition added, passed by roll call with Kat Barry, David Earl, Melissa (councilmember), and Doug Mathis voting yes and Pete voting no. The council recessed for 10 minutes immediately after the vote.