House resurrects, passes Boone ETJ bill

[Gonzo]

http://www.wral.com/house-resurrects-bo ... /13761065/

"Because Watauga County has no zoning ordinance, the move would essentially open the area around town to unregulated development.

"The people of Watauga County have the right to petition their county commissioners to talk about zoning or not," said Soucek."

[fjblair]

Soucek and Jordan are idiots, so is the NC legislature. Good luck with that next election boys. There are a couple hundred ETJ's in the state but this affects only Boone. Oh yeah and citizens of the ETJ did not push for or support this action. Government run amok.

[MAD Doctor]

Built a house in the ETJ in 2013. Talk about crappy timing.

[Maddog1956]

Expect the area around Boone to be trashed! IMHO

[Gonzo]

I agree that this is a bad and scary direction. I can see it helping with an FBS infrastructure etc, but overall I just see the town being overrun with franchise restaurants; the hills being dotted with hotels and mountain houses; and the the collective soul of our beloved High Country being sold to the highest bidder.

[EastHallApp]

The county had a chance to pass a zoning ordinance in 2001, but the locals didn't want government "telling them what to do with their land," so it failed. I remember covering the public hearing meeting of the county commissioners. 100+ people signed up to yell at each other, and several hundred more were in attendance. It dragged on for 4 or 5 hours IIRC.

[tclayton]

So dose this help or hinder the multi use project on the Scottish Inn and Red Roof inn Property?

[EastHallApp]

So dose this help or hinder the multi use project on the Scottish Inn and Red Roof inn Property?

Shouldn't affect it if I'm reading correctly, as those are in the town of Boone, whereas the unzoned areas are outside the town.

[AppfaninCAALand]

I agree that this is a bad and scary direction. I can see it helping with an FBS infrastructure etc, but overall I just see the town being overrun with franchise restaurants; the hills being dotted with hotels and mountain houses; and the the collective soul of our beloved High Country being sold to the highest bidder.

It's not like there are any franchise restaurants or hilltop houses in Watagua County already.

That article made my head hurt with all the legislative mumbojumbo. I believe NC has some of the most lax annexation laws in the country. If Boone wants to control land use in the area they should go all in and annex the area.

I doubt there will much of a noticeable impact, positive or negative, from something like this. All the talk of public hearings, zoning boards, chicken-little fears, and so on just reminds me why I'm happy I abandoned my major in community/city planning.

[AppfaninCAALand]

So dose this help or hinder the multi use project on the Scottish Inn and Red Roof inn Property?

Is there really such a project? I remember calling for just such a thing in one of my city planning classes 15 years ago, and on the old board probably 7 years ago. Very interesting. What are they planning to do? No doubt restaurants, apartments, and shops to take advantage of all that student loan money flowing into town in recent years.

[Gonzo]

I agree that this is a bad and scary direction. I can see it helping with an FBS infrastructure etc, but overall I just see the town being overrun with franchise restaurants; the hills being dotted with hotels and mountain houses; and the the collective soul of our beloved High Country being sold to the highest bidder.

It's not like there are any franchise restaurants or hilltop houses in Watagua County already.

That article made my head hurt with all the legislative mumbojumbo. I believe NC has some of the most lax annexation laws in the country. If Boone wants to control land use in the area they should go all in and annex the area.

I doubt there will much of a noticeable impact, positive or negative, from something like this. All the talk of public hearings, zoning boards, chicken-little fears, and so on just reminds me why I'm happy I abandoned my major in community/city planning.

You'd be surprised by what an uninhibited land development state could look like. I do have mixed feelings. I think this could be great in combating the student housing moratorium and the town government's war on college culture. I just fear the precedent of a foreign Raleigh legislator approving every mega-development project -- every Sugar Mountain Resort -- obscuring the wonder of Mountain majesty.

We'll see if it passes and what sort of eventual development comes to pass.

[firemoose]

There is a reason you all haven't heard much from me in the past couple of weeks, except the occasional recruiting post (I even have a new 2016 Basketball offer I've known about for three days but just haven't had time to put it in the thread). This is the reason. I live in the eastern ETJ. We petitioned the Town years ago to include our area because the county would not help us to stop an asphalt plant from being built within 1 mile of over 400 homes (around 275 at the time) and 30 yards from the banks of the South Fork of the New River, and more recently, asking to stay in ETJ to stop a bankrupt concrete plant from being reopened that joins our neighborhood and has dozens of air and water pollution violations in addition to multiple piles of rusting junk sitting beside the road into our neighborhood that everyone has to pass by daily to enter or leave the area. We stopped the same bill 2 years ago in the House but this time we felt it was different and we were correct.

Not sure how I feel right now except nauseous. Now, unless we can stop it, I'll have an asphalt plant about a 1/3 of a mile from my front porch. And dozens of dump and other trucks every day going up and down a road that's dangerous enough for cars. I'm going to hate seeing how much less than the tax value an appraisal of our home and over 5 acres is. Been told to expect it to be cut at least in half.

[GoApps70]

Always had heard that Boone would not allow multiple story buildings in downtown Boone.
Was that just them vetoing anything proposed like that?

[T-Dog]

So dose this help or hinder the multi use project on the Scottish Inn and Red Roof inn Property?

Is there really such a project? I remember calling for just such a thing in one of my city planning classes 15 years ago, and on the old board probably 7 years ago. Very interesting. What are they planning to do? No doubt restaurants, apartments, and shops to take advantage of all that student loan money flowing into town in recent years.

Yes it just passed last week.

While this is a dangerous precedent taken, the Town of Boone has screwed up over and over.

[firemoose]

So dose this help or hinder the multi use project on the Scottish Inn and Red Roof inn Property?

Is there really such a project? I remember calling for just such a thing in one of my city planning classes 15 years ago, and on the old board probably 7 years ago. Very interesting. What are they planning to do? No doubt restaurants, apartments, and shops to take advantage of all that student loan money flowing into town in recent years.

Yes it just passed last week.

While this is a dangerous precedent taken, the Town of Boone has screwed up over and over.

http://www2.wataugademocrat.com/News/st ... -id-015335
Here's the story on the Standard at Boone rezoning and it has links to other stories that show the project.

[HeffnerIV]

This one is tough. I'm with Firemoose in the fact that I wouldn't want an asphalt plant that close. I'm also an advocate of private property rights and the constitution that specifically protects that right.

I live in Southern Pines and I have a client who was developing 17 acres on Midland Rd. in Pinehurst. The Village of Pinehurst required him to include two parks in his development or pay a $35,000 impact fee. This would eat approximately two+ acres of potential development. Of course, this sort of extortion was overturned, but he installed the parks anyway in a good-will effort. This took a couple years to run its course and stalled the project in the mean time.

[Maddog1956]

This one is tough. I'm with Firemoose in the fact that I wouldn't want an asphalt plant that close. I'm also an advocate of private property rights and the constitution that specifically protects that right.

I live in Southern Pines and I have a client who was developing 17 acres on Midland Rd. in Pinehurst. The Village of Pinehurst required him to include two parks in his development or pay a $35,000 impact fee. This would eat approximately two+ acres of potential development. Of course, this sort of extortion was overturned, but he installed the parks anyway in a good-will effort. This took a couple years to run its course and stalled the project in the mean time.

Firemoose is right...One person property rights stops when it infringes on someone else right to enjoy their property. Trash, junk yards, abandon property can destroy a whole neighborhood from enjoying theirs.

People in the county to have the right to decide if they want zoning, but for every city to have the right to a EJT except Boone is pure politics and will allow crap to be built and grandfathered in for generations.

If there is any doubt what will happen, look at hwy 321 some 20 years ago (it's improved a little since then) one of the ugliest roads in America. I seen pictures of it used to show what can happen without proper zoning.

I understand that places like the Village of Pinehurst can go overboard, but the facts are that people are moving to into these towns not away from them so the rules don't hurt. Developers always want to take advantage of what others have paid for with impact fees and taxes but don't want to pay out of their pocket. Pretty standard story.

[Rekdiver]

Im conservative....but this legislature is the most bas akward group of people ive ever seen and Pat whom I really like is a deer in headlights and is getting ramrodded by these nutbags. Watauga county needs to adopt some zoning ords or we will look like Gatlinburg.

[Gonzo]

There is a reason you all haven't heard much from me in the past couple of weeks, except the occasional recruiting post (I even have a new 2016 Basketball offer I've known about for three days but just haven't had time to put it in the thread). This is the reason. I live in the eastern ETJ. We petitioned the Town years ago to include our area because the county would not help us to stop an asphalt plant from being built within 1 mile of over 400 homes (around 275 at the time) and 30 yards from the banks of the South Fork of the New River, and more recently, asking to stay in ETJ to stop a bankrupt concrete plant from being reopened that joins our neighborhood and has dozens of air and water pollution violations in addition to multiple piles of rusting junk sitting beside the road into our neighborhood that everyone has to pass by daily to enter or leave the area. We stopped the same bill 2 years ago in the House but this time we felt it was different and we were correct.

Not sure how I feel right now except nauseous. Now, unless we can stop it, I'll have an asphalt plant about a 1/3 of a mile from my front porch. And dozens of dump and other trucks every day going up and down a road that's dangerous enough for cars. I'm going to hate seeing how much less than the tax value an appraisal of our home and over 5 acres is. Been told to expect it to be cut at least in half.

PM sent

[fjblair]

There is a reason you all haven't heard much from me in the past couple of weeks, except the occasional recruiting post (I even have a new 2016 Basketball offer I've known about for three days but just haven't had time to put it in the thread). This is the reason. I live in the eastern ETJ. We petitioned the Town years ago to include our area because the county would not help us to stop an asphalt plant from being built within 1 mile of over 400 homes (around 275 at the time) and 30 yards from the banks of the South Fork of the New River, and more recently, asking to stay in ETJ to stop a bankrupt concrete plant from being reopened that joins our neighborhood and has dozens of air and water pollution violations in addition to multiple piles of rusting junk sitting beside the road into our neighborhood that everyone has to pass by daily to enter or leave the area. We stopped the same bill 2 years ago in the House but this time we felt it was different and we were correct.

Not sure how I feel right now except nauseous. Now, unless we can stop it, I'll have an asphalt plant about a 1/3 of a mile from my front porch. And dozens of dump and other trucks every day going up and down a road that's dangerous enough for cars. I'm going to hate seeing how much less than the tax value an appraisal of our home and over 5 acres is. Been told to expect it to be cut at least in half.

I know the neighborhood situation there. It's possible the subdivision and surrounding properties could vote for voluntary annexation. I expect we will see a lot of those requests in the next few months. The bill does not go into effect until January 2015 and the town is having a legal review so maybe something good will happen.

There was almost no support for this bill from citizens in the ETJ and there was no public hearing. The driving force behind this is developers who want student housing and commercial development where it is not allowed in ETJ. It's not about taxation and voting and all the BS coming from Soucek and Jordan. The votes came from back scratching and deal making among the sell out legislators in Raleigh and a good bit of rule bending.

I'm a conservative but I can't believe what is going on in Raleigh right now. It is just mind boggling.