Reck Resigns from Boone Planning Commission

Story by Kathleen McFadden

“The decision to rezone flies in the face not only of good planning; it flies in the face of any planning."

Dr. Gregory Reck has resigned from the Boone Area Planning Commission because of the Planning Commission’s narrow approval of a recommendation to rezone university property at the corner of Howard and College Street and the Boone Town Council’s subsequent approval of the rezoning request. Reck was the commission chair.

In a January 23 letter addressed to Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson, Development Services Director John Spear and Planning Commission Vice Chair Mary Ruth McRae, Reck outlined his reasons for submitting his resignation.

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. The university, faced with the thoughtless expense of $4.2 million and the subsequent zoning debacle, supported a campaign of distortion to try to apply pressure on the town. They even tried to influence the outcome of the town’s election in order to get their way. Finally, they engaged in a façade of cooperation, although as the Chair of the Board of Trustees stated at a public meeting, ‘there is no other place we can put this building.’ In other words, the bottom line was to find a way to proceed with what they wanted.”

Reck continued, “The resulting compromise gave university officials virtually everything that they wanted. All of the original concerns that most of us had about traffic, height, density, setbacks, green space, incursions into the downtown area, and the rights of neighbors evaporated.”

The effect of the decision on the Dedmond family—the couple that owns a single-family home adjacent to the rezoned property—also played a part in Reck’s decision to resign.

He wrote, “…the harm that this decision has brought to the Dedmond family is inexcusable. I was appalled by the condescending, paternalistic attitudes often expressed about them. The town and the university have chosen to trample on their property rights. The fact that they were ‘only two people’ makes no difference. The value of humans is not measured in volume.”

Commenting on his resignation, Reck said, “I want to make sure that it’s clear that I respect the town council and the planning commission for accomplishing a lot of good things. But the recent decision on rezoning flew in the face of a lot of progress.”

Rezoning the property, Reck said, “turned over our planning process to the university. I could not abide by that approach to planning. I felt the decision was a radically poor decision.”

Reck acknowledged the university’s importance in the region but pointed out that the benefits the university brings to Boone and the High Country are “irrelevant to this discussion.”

Reck continued, “The decision was driven by the preemptive purchase of property. They painted themselves into a corner and asked to the town to get them out. I think the university should have looked at how this money was spent before sitting down with the town. I hope the university and the town will engage in sincere discussions of planning going forward. The argument that it is legitimate for the university to expand into property adjacent to the university is not a viable planning argument. We have to be concerned about traffic, height, density, incursions onto King Street.”

Reck said he carefully considered the decision before submitting his letter of resignation. “I have thought about this a great deal and I’m not the kind of person who jumps ship, but I felt I needed to turn this over to other people.”