Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

July 17, 2008 issue

Boone Board of Adjustment Approves Two Condo Projects, Harris Teeter Expansion


Story by Diana Godwin

The Boone Board of Adjustment met Thursday, July 10, to review permit applications for three large development projects including the Cedar Ridge Townhouses, the Harris Teeter expansion, and Riverstone Condominiums. The board issued permits for all three.

Cedar Ridge Townhouses
Nautical Land LLC requested a special use permit to allow the construction of 48 townhouse condominiums on an R-4 zoned 20.72-acre site north of Park Street. The property is zoned for residential, agricultural and mobile home use and a large portion of it lies within the Viewshed Overlay District and the town’s designated primary growth area. Currently, a one-family residence is located on the property.

The board denied the company’s permit request in a 6-2 vote at the June 2008 meeting on the grounds that the development included too many units and would not be in general conformity with the Comprehensive Plan or the Thoroughfare Plan and would not be in harmony with the neighborhood.

Nautical Land submitted new plans proposing expanded road improvements, sidewalk construction and viewshed buffering. The number of townhouse units was reduced from 58 to 50, eliminating an entire 8-unit townhouse building and reducing traffic impact by 11 percent. In addition, Nautical Land LLC agreed to designate approximately 10 acres for conservation and will offer the land to High Country Conservancy for stewardship or ownership. A road survey and traffic study were completed in June, and the company addressed the board’s concerns about waste removal.

At last Thursday’s meeting, board members raised concerns about the potential for renting the units. Company representatives told the board that property deed restrictions will limit the occupancy of the townhouses to owners only, and a homeowners’ association will assume responsibility for overseeing compliance with the restrictions.

The board unanimously approved the special use permit.

Harris Teeter Expansion
Harris Teeter requested a modification of a special use permit approved in August 1992 and modified in April 2003, as well as a sidewalk variance.

Harris Teeter’s modification request was for a 9,600 square foot store expansion project. The expansion will take over three neighboring storefronts and include expansion in the rear of the shopping center.

Harris Teeter also requested that the project be excluded from the town’s sidewalk ordinance requiring construction of a sidewalk along any public street abutting the property. Harris Teeter representatives objected to the requirement to extend an existing sidewalk on Shadowline Drive because concrete transmission line power poles, slope variations and existing mature landscaping would be adversely affected. They argued that the cost of extending the sidewalk exceeded any benefit to pedestrian traffic. The Board of Adjustment requested further information on the feasibility of construction and whether the impediments create an undue hardship.

The board unanimously approved the permit modification to allow the expansion, but continued consideration of the sidewalk variance to the next meeting, pending additional information concerning its feasibility.

Riverstone Condominiums
Mega Builders LLC requested a special use permit to allow the construction of 48 condominium units along Eli Hartley Drive on a 12.01-acre parcel zoned R-3, multifamily residential.

The site is currently vacant and was graded prior to its annexation by the town. Mega Builders deviated from its usual construction standard of three-story buildings with a total of 66 units to a plan calling for two two-story buildings containing 24 units each.

Board discussion of the application primarily concerned the increase in area traffic, the ownership status of the project and its relationship to previous permits issued for Mountaineer Village Apartments construction. The project representative stated that the development differs from the Mountaineer project in that it is a condominium project rather than an apartment project and is separate from the previously permitted development of Mountaineer Village, phase three.
The board unanimously approved the special use permit.