The DOT is planning to remove the row of shops on the Dan’l Boone Inn corner, to allow a new right turn lane.
According to the Uniform Relocation Act, tenants will be eligible to collect up to $10,000 in reestablishment expenses, up to $2,500 in search expenses and will also be reimbursed for any and all moving costs. Tenants could also choose to settle for a single, one-time payout of $20,000 to cover all moving and reestablishment expenses.
Here’s the High Country Press article
The speed limit on N.C. 105 has been changed from 45 mph to 35 mph, extending from the Poplar Grove Road intersection to the N.C. 105 Bypass.
Click here for the article in the Watauga Democrat.
In case you missed it, Simm’s Furniture will be replaced by TJ-Maxx. Barry Nicholson, spokesman for H.L. Libby Corp., which bought the mall about two years ago, said the off-price retailer has signed a lease and should be open by fall.
Click here for the Watauga Democrat article
A digital outdoor advertising sign with rotating clients is not subject to the scenic byway regulations due to its orientation on Old U.S. 421.
Click here for the article in the Watauga Democrat
Boone and Blowing Rock are among 11 North Carolina communities facing the most severe water shortages because of drought.
Mayor Loretta Clawson of Boone and Chancellor Ken Peacock of Appalachian State University signed an agreement last month to connect the town and university water and sewer systems. They agreed to share the $250,000 cost of design and construction. Both the town and university are pursuing grants for the project.
Click here for the complete article from the Winston-Salem Journal
The Long Hope Retreat property is located in Todd and connects to thousands of acres of undeveloped forest land that’s available for hiking and exploration. The property borders several large ponds that have their own habitats, rare and native plants and a field for sports and recreation.
Click here for an article in the Mountain Times
Click here for the Long Hope website
The resolution notes the county doesn’t expect property tax increases to repay the loan, since it is selling the current high school property. The construction price for facilities is set at a guaranteed maximum of $47.2 million, with another $11.2 million committed in land purchases, site testing, studies and design work. A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for the next regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Feb. 19.
Click here for the Mountain times article
Reck wrote, “The decision to rezone flies in the face not only of good planning; it flies in the face of any planning. Let’s face the truth: the university’s request and the decision to rezone were never the result of planning. They were the result of the opportunity presented to the university to purchase property, which the university did without an ounce of credible cooperative planning with the town, or even with itself. ”
Click here for the complete article from the High Country Press
