The Winkler Family’s proposed 12-unit hotel project was approved by the Planning Board on November 21st. The 12-unit townhouse type hotel will be be located at the former Blue Ridge Motor Court property, between El Rincon and the Blowing Rock Inn in the 800 block of North Main Street in downtown Blowing Rock.

The conditional rezoning application was approved with stipulation that the site only be used for a hotel so that subsequent owners cannot convert to short-term rental use since the parking is not adequate for residential use.

Winkler said that the rooms are designed for a longer stay and are more family oriented than just a normal hotel room. The two story units are approximately 750 square feet and will include a kitchenette, a living area, two bathrooms, one shower, a patio and balcony. Six of the spaces would face North Main Street and the other six would face the back of the property toward Sunflower Lane.

The highest point of the building would be 37 feet, 10 inches, according to the application, and it would meet the town’s setback requirements, the application states, as the closest point would be 54 feet from the back of the sidewalk adjacent to the street.

The Civic Association’s Real Estate Evaluation Committee led by Marshall Sealey and Tim Gupton evaluated the project and issued a report to the Planning Board recommending that the use be restricted to hotel use only due to parking and that the Planning Board and Town Council review and clarify a specific greenspace code requirement that staff interprets as not applicable. The report concluded that the projects meets the goals of Town’s 2014 Comprehensive Plan and the recommendations in the Civic Association’s Advocacy Plan.

The plans require final approval by the Blowing Rock Town Council, which next meets on December 10th.