More of Boone's new "planned development" moving forward.
This one across from the Holmes Convocation Center ... on slightly over 1/2 acre, some 24 efficiency apartments with only 22 allotted parking places for those residents, plus commercial space with only six allotted parking places.
Does that make sense to you?
What commercial business would rent where there is no parking for potential customers? Renters in 24 apartments are going to take more than those 22 spaces. That's guaranteed. Workers in the businesses -- if there are businesses willing to rent there -- will take whatever is left over. There is no across-the-street or down-the-street parking.
The Town Council's "cover" for this development nonsense is pushing for a "walkable town." Not sure how we get there by allowing mega-developments get away without providing parking spaces. The reality: everybody (and his/her dog) has a car, and they're gonna park it somewhere.
Sunday, January 03, 2016
What the Boone Town Council Has Been Finding Acceptable
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11 comments:
I have mixed (ha!) feelings about all these mixed-use developments. I understand why the town might want these - I get that part. However, to want SO many of them spread out everywhere seems really strange to me. They should concentrate on mixed-use in the downtown area. Downtowns have always been mixed use, really, with stores on the bottom and living spaces above. In this day and age, though, people are not going to want to shop or live in places where they can't park! It's just a fact of life: people have cars, and they are not going to hunt all around town for a parking space and then walk a mile to get to a retail location. Most, if not all, of the mixed-use buildings that have recently been built have been complete failures. Either there's no business renting the commercial spaces, or no tenants in the living spaces. I suspect that they're trying to charge too much rent for the space. Boone should back off of this and concentrate on building these kind of things downtown.
App State students spend more in rent than they do in tuition. Families have a very hard time finding affordable housing. That's wrong. The town has been handed to developers. The elected officials need to take it back and make sure that the development is RESPONSIBLE. I don't see that happening now.
If Dem12 thinks we have enough student apartments now, just wait until the water intake provides enough water to have five times the total development of the town which now exists. Who do the dimwits who support this group think is going to want the water?
if the town "leaders" want a walkable town, they should build the side walks so we can walk from our neighborhood into town. less than a mile to work, but no sidewalks and no enforcement of speeders, means driving a car and taking a parking spot for the whole day.
"If Dem12 thinks we have enough student apartments now, just wait until the water intake provides enough water to have five times the total development of the town which now exists. Who do the dimwits who support this group think is going to want the water?"
Boone planning board seems intent on irresponsible development of student housing. And unless Watauga County changes its planning board, the people who will want the water from the intake will be high impact developers like Maymead - the Tennessee company has big plans for their location on the scenic byway - asphalt, cement mixer, quarry. This county remains wide open to high impact development, despite the changes made to HILU ordinance this summer.
Radford is continuing to fight to develop an asphalt plant right next to homes and right down the street from Hardin Park. They could easily win. The Watauga County planning board sat for too long and did nothing. And as a result, Watauga could easily have three asphalt plants. Boone seems intent on overdeveloping the student housing market.
Unfortunately, the Watauga County & Boone planning boards seem intent on protecting irresponsible development, not responsible development and local families.
I agree with Anonymous 7:15. To really be a "walkable" town, we have to have sidewalks and greenways into the neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area. Right now, Boone is behind on that one! Like I said earlier, they should concentrate on placing the mixed use buildings in the downtown area. There are some areas of downtown that are butt-ugly and could use some renovation!
Developers are building "Mixed Use" with first floor business rentals because that is what the Boone Central Planning idiots will approve. The business spaces remain vacant because their is NO demand for retail in these locations. Boone can require builders to include retail space in order to get their residential rentals approved, BUT, they can't create demand and they can't mandate business to occupy unprofitable locations.
Anon 11:23 is wrong. The reason the commercial spaces are empty is because the handful of property owners who control nearly all the space in this place charge exorbitant rent that no small business can bear. It's not demand; they think they should get as much per square foot as they get for the out of this world prices for student rentals.
Unfortunately, your 'moderator', only posts the comments that he wants to. His prerogative, I know, but it makes any honest debate impossible and leaves the uninformed reader thinking that no opposing views were put forth.
Perhaps we should take a look at the owners of that property in discussion. Is one of them Kenneth Wilcox. Take a look at a situation. Wasn't he Board Chair at Watauga Medical Center? Where is App Regional Urgent Care? I believe Mr. Wilcox owns that building. Just some thoughts to consider. And who sold the old Lowe's property to Watauga Medical Center for $3 million? I believe that was Kenneth Wilcox?
Who is responsible for appointing Board Members to Watauga Medical Center. Is the County Commissioners?
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