Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05

Architects Present High School Site Plan

Story by Kathleen McFadden

On Wednesday afternoon, members of the subcommittee tasked with planning and coordinating efforts toward the new Watauga High School met to consider the final site plan for the new school prepared by sfL+a Architects of Charlotte. The committee is expected to recommend that the Watauga County Board of Commissioners and Board of Education approve the plan at their joint meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 8, at 4:00 p.m. in the commissioners’ boardroom.

At their last joint meeting in February, the commissioners and school board members approved a preliminary site plan for the high school property, after the subcommittee considered three plans and forwarded its recommendation to the two boards. According to County Manager Rocky Nelson, the final plan contains no significant changes from the working design of the past few months.

In response to suggestions from committee members, project architect Jennifer Sisak developed a plan with parking more centrally located to the athletic fields, the school building and other site features than in the other two plans.

The school building is oriented to take advantage of the natural grade of the land, with the career-technical education spaces at the bottom of the slope, allowing for large instructional spaces and rollup access doors that will not be on the same level as academic classrooms.

In addition to the school building and parking, the site includes baseball and softball fields, football stadium, soccer field and tennis courts, as well as a site at the north end of the property set aside for a future community recreation center.

The commissioners and school board members anticipate site preparation work to begin in August or September this year and the school’s opening in fall 2010.

On April 19, Nelson, Sisak, Board of Commissioners Chair Jim Deal, Watauga County Schools Superintendent Dr. Bobbie Short and Board of Education member Deborah Miller attended the Boone Town Council meeting, and Nelson presented three requests related to the new high school on behalf of the two boards.

Road Closures

The county has petitioned the town council to close portions of Daniel Boone Drive Extension and Hill Top Drive to preclude cut-through neighborhood traffic, but residents of another adjacent street expressed cut-through concerns at the council meeting.

Some residents of Delmar Street attended the meeting, upset about the clear-cutting of a tree buffer between the street’s dead end and the beginning of the high school tract and the rumor that Delmar Street was planned as an access road to the school. Both the county and the school board responded that no such access was planned and that the county was not responsible for the clear-cutting.

During discussion of the neighbors’ concerns, Boone Public Works Director Blake Brown reported that the town had cleared a small right of way through the tree buffer for a new power line, but a private property owner had cut the trees—without right or permission—to provide heavy equipment access to his property. Brown said that the town would plant new trees to replace the ones that had been cut and install a guardrail at the dead end.

With that concern addressed, Delmar Street resident Greg Simmons pointed out that Delmar Street could still potentially be used as a drop-off point for high school students who could simply walk through the buffer area and access the rear of the high school.

Miller assured Simmons, other residents and the town council that the commissioners and school board are “very sensitive to the neighbors” and willing to install fencing or some other impediment to ensure that Delmar Street is not used as a drop-off point.

“We want to ensure our kids use the proper entrance,” Short said. “It’s a safety issue for us.”

Members of the town council asked that the county meet with residents of the neighborhoods surrounding the high school tract to address their issues and concerns. Deal said that members of the boards would hold a meeting with residents in early May, followed by a general community meeting about the high school a few weeks later.

That meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, May 23, at 6:00 p.m. at Watauga High School.

Conditional Zoning Request

Nelson also asked the council to approve a conditional zoning request for the property that would permit school construction on the site. Development Services Director John Spear pointed out that the county had two choices: applying for a special use permit or for conditional zoning.

“Since it’s going to be a school for the next 50 to 100 years,” Deal said, “I think conditional zoning is the way to go.”

The Town of Boone Unified Development Ordinance gives the town council the power to approve conditional zoning requests, but the proposed use must meet all the development standards of the ordinance. In addition, the town council can apply additional requirements beyond those required by the ordinance in the conditional zoning approval.

The permitting authority for special use permits is the Board of Adjustment, not the town council.

Public Hearings

The county’s street closure and conditional zoning requests require public hearings. Those hearings will all take place on the same night, Thursday, May 31, at 7:00 p.m. in the Watauga High School auditorium. The members of the town council, board of commissioners and board of education will be present at the hearings.

Upcoming High School Meetings

Three public meetings related to the high school are scheduled in May.

Tuesday, May 8, 4:00 p.m.—Site Plan Approval

The Watauga County Board of Commissioners and Board of Education will hold a joint meeting to consider and vote on the final site plan for the new high school.

Wednesday, May 23, 6:00 p.m.—Public Information Meeting

The Watauga County Board of Education will hold a public meeting to present the site plan for the new Watauga High School, including the planned location of the high school building, parking areas, driveways, athletic fields and other major features of the 94-acre property.

Thursday, May 31, 7:00 p.m.—Public Hearings

The Watauga County Board of Commissioners and Board of Education and the Boone Town Council will hold public hearings at the Watauga High School auditorium to consider the county’s requests for street closures of Daniel Boone Drive Extension and Hill Top Drive, as well as the county’s request for conditional zoning of the high school site.