Councilmember proposes architectural design committee to preserve Blue Ridge small-town character

Councilmember Christy K urged the creation of an architectural design committee to help preserve Blue Ridge's small-town character and to recommend code changes addressing exterior standards, lighting, and tree protection.

"When we all ran I feel like the main thing that I kept hearing was small town charm," Christy K said, describing concerns about large trees being removed, new commercial designs that do not fit the town's aesthetic, and light-pollution risks. She suggested starting with internal code changes on exterior standards and then recruiting a committee to refine design guidance and relieve the zoning staff from handling fine-grain design decisions.

Other council members supported the idea, saying the zoning code lacks explicit controls for some undesirable outcomes: "If it's not written in our code... it doesn't exist," one member said, noting adult entertainment is currently allowed in a C2 zone and should be removed from the code.

Council discussed using examples from other municipalities (for instance, specifying warm-white lighting rather than blue lights) and cleaning up code language so permits issued by staff match the community's expectations. The mayor and staff said the committee would likely coordinate with zoning staff and that code changes would move through the regular planning-and-zoning process.