Council sets up

hearing on ASU

education building
By Frank Ruggiero
ruggiero@wataugademocrat.com

The Boone Town Council took a step toward improving the relationship between the town of Boone and Appalachian State University at its regular meeting Dec. 20.

The council unanimously approved the scheduling of a Jan. 10, 2008 special public hearing for a zoning text amendment and rezoning petition from Appalachian. The amendment concerns university land use, and the petition involves a change in zoning for property on Howard Street for the proposed Reich College of Education.

John Spear, director of Boone Development Services, explained that in September, council members met with members of the university’s board of trustees, as well as members of the respective staffs, to discuss university growth and its impact on the town.

Boone Development Services staff had drafted a plan without knowledge of the university’s master plan, which was not provided at the time. It was later revealed that a revision of the plan is under way.

Officials agreed on several issues, and a subcommittee was formed to negotiate a plan beneficial to both parties. Since then, a report on university growth planning was drafted for presentation to both the council and trustees.

According to the plan, all university land uses would be permitted by right within U-1 (University) districts, meaning no public hearing or town board approval would be required. Instead, zoning permit applications would be submitted by university staff for approval by town staff.

In addition, campus land would be considered as a whole for purposes of computing land use intensity under the Boone Unified Development Ordinance.

As far as master plans are concerned, the town and university would cooperate with each other in the development of such plans for each entity, “including opportunities for one or more representatives designated by each party to confer with committees and staffs of the other party during all phases of planning efforts,” the proposal reads.

“The university and the town have agreed to engage in developing a joint master plan, and I think that’s going to be very critical as we address really important issues for this town’s future,” council member Lynne Mason said. “Included in those issues will be things, such as housing and dealing with infrastructure so the town can plan accordingly, looking at parking and traffic needs, and also storm water management.”

As such, the proposal takes parking into careful consideration, saying that plans for new development in U-1 would also include consideration of additional parking and strategies for parking and traffic mitigation for the community at large. The university would continue to seek off-campus parking options to increase utilization of mass transit services, the proposal reads.

As far as storm water management is concerned, the plan would require all new development in U-1 to comply with North Carolina laws and regulations concerning storm water, while possibly incorporating Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) strategies.

The plan also regulates setbacks, but only when property is adjacent to town-maintained streets, and limits university building height by the town’s firefighting capability, saying that all buildings proposed within 100 feet of residential property shall be limited to the maximum height allowed in the adjoining district.

Buildings proposed within 50 feet of differently zoned districts would be limited to the maximum height in the adjoining district.

The proposal also accounts for aesthetics, in that the university would have to provide street trees along town-maintained streets, as well as a 10-foot landscape buffer adjacent to non-university property “to create a separation of spaces without completely eliminating visual contact.”

The proposal concludes by saying, “We believe the foregoing principles will not only resolve problems that have arisen in the context of zoning for university projects in recent years, but also further the developing spirit of cooperation between the town and university.”

University attorney Dayton Cole expressed ASU’s feelings on the matter, saying, “We wholeheartedly endorse the principles laid out in the report, and we look forward to working with the town on this project.”

The special public hearing will be held Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008, at 7 p.m. in council chambers at 1500 Blowing Rock Road.