Flat Rock celebrates greening of village

From the Times-News:

The Park at Flat Rock, as the former Highland Lake Golf Course is now being called, wasn't just the biggest thing to happen to the village in 2013, Village Administrator Judy Boleman said.

"It's also the biggest capital project in the village since we incorporated in 1995," Boleman said, looking out over the 66-acre park last week. Flat Rock residents cherish their trees and open space, she said, "and this park is very much in alignment with that concept."

Village Council agreed in May to buy the former links from Course Doctors Inc. for $1.15 million to protect open space at the village's gateway and create a dawn-to-dusk park with passive features such as walking and biking trails, playground equipment and picnic areas.

The park officially opened to dog-walkers and exercisers Dec. 13, although there are no restroom facilities or amenities, yet. But the village has installed benches, trash cans, signs outlining park rules and a donated doggie waste station. . .

Read it all.

Buyer wants to resurrect Braewood plan

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

A Fletcher developer who bought the 88-acre Braewood property in a foreclosure sale this month said he would like to resurrect a site plan that called for a 121-home residential development on West Blue Ridge Road next to the Mill House Lodge.

Matt King bought the bank-owned property for $1.078 million in a foreclosure auction on Dec. 10.

"It is under contract and I expect it to close by the end of the year," said Frank Smith of the auction company Stephen Jax & Associates. "It was a good auction. Almost every (registered) bidder placed a bid. It's a very appealing piece of property for a lot of different reasons."

The property was owned by TD Bank, the successor to Carolina First Bank, which in February 2008 had loaned $2.5 million for the development proposed by Hilton Swing and his father, Ken Swing.

King also bought the Fox Glen property in Fletcher in a foreclosure sale and developed the subdivision. He has spoken several times with Flat Rock Village Administrator Judy Boleman about the process for reactivating a special use permit the village issued in 2007. . .

Read it all.

Merry Christmas!

Flat Rock Village Council again waives pay

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

The Flat Rock Village Council said farewell to three veteran council members and welcomed three replacements this month.

Anne Coletta, Albert Gooch and Sheryl Jamerson replaced retiring members Dave Bucher, Jim Wert and Ron Davis. . .

The council continued the tradition of waiving council pay, which is budgeted at $3,000 a year for council members and $6,000 for the mayor. . .

Read it all.

Flat Rock Village Council can't fudge on crucial vote

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

It started with talk about fudge. Then it became a challenge.

Ron Davis and Jimmy Chandler, members of the Flat Rock Village Council, both said their moms made the best fudge. The obvious solution: A Fudge Off, as Chandler dubbed it. There was a brief discussion about nut allergies. "Ron and I discussed it but we could not adulterate our mother's recipe by leaving out the nuts," Chandler said. The fudge was laid out, labeled A and B. Ballots were handed out.

Tension was as thick as chocolate batter. . .

Check it out to find out whose fudge won!

Three retiring Flat Rock council members interviewed

For those who missed the print edition of the Hendersonville Lightning a few weeks ago, the stories on the three retiring Flat Rock councilmen are now online:

• Dave Bucher
• Ron Davis
• Jim Wert

The Park at Flat Rock is open

The Park at Flat Rock is open! From the Hendersonville Lightning:

So far use of the Park at Flat Rock has been light, with a few walkers and dogs sighted since the park opened on Friday, Dec. 13.

The Flat Rock Village Council last week announced the official park opening, showed off the first two park benches and appointed a park advisory committee. The Village Council bought the former Highland Lake golf course property for $1.15 million. It has appropriated roughly $832,000 for park improvements for the budget year ending June 30, although no major work has been authorized yet. . .

The Village Council also created a new Park and Recreation Advisory Board and appointed retiring council member Dave Bucher and former park exploratory committee members Ginger Brown and John Dockendorf to serve. The Village Council scheduled a planning workshop Jan. 7 to discuss park development. The first two priorities are an improved walking trail, rest rooms, a picnic pavilion and a new entrance off Highland Lake Road. Walking the entire perimeter of the parkland would be about a 1.5-mile trip. . .

The council decided to go ahead and open the park despite the fact that no park improvements have been made. "The park is in development phase and portions of the park may be closed to tbe public at times," a sign says. "Obey all construction zone instructions." The Park is open from dawn until dusk. For more information about the Park, contact Flat Rock Village Hall at 697-8100.

Read it all.

Park workshop to be January 7

At today's regular village council meeting, the council decided to hold a workshop to discuss various issues on the park development. The workshop will be held Tuesday, January 7, at 9:30 a.m. at the village hall.

All council meetings/workshops are open to the public, so see you there!

88-acre Braewood property sold at auction

The auction for the Braewood property was December 10. From the Hendersonville Lightning:

An 88-acre tract of land that was once the site of proposed 121-home residential development sold at auction on Tuesday for just over $1 million.

A developer who bought the Braewood property visited Flat Rock Village Hall on Tuesday, the same day as the auction, to check on zoning and village development regulations, said Village Administrator Judy Boleman.

The Village of Flat Rock had authorized a 121-unit planned residential community on the undeveloped property in gently sloping woods on West Blue Ridge Road that would include walking trails, a 50 percent set-aside for open space and access to Jordan Lake. The property is across from Bonclarken between the Mill House Lodge and Flat Rock Middle School.

Hilton Swing and his father, Kenneth Swing, received a special-use permit in August 2007 toward the tail end of Henderson County's real estate building boom. The Braewood development never got off the ground. When the special-use permit expires on Jan. 1, the property will revert to R10, R20, and R40 residential zoning, which require quarter-acre, half-acre and one-acre lots respectively. . .

Read it all.

2014 Village Council meeting schedule

January - December 2014
Village of Flat Rock

Schedule of Meetings

Monday, December 30, Agenda Workshop

Friday, January 10, Monthly Council Meeting

Monday, February 3, Agenda Workshop

Thursday, February 13, Monthly Council Meeting

Monday, March 3, Agenda Workshop

Thursday, March 13, Monthly Council Meeting

Monday, March 31, Agenda Workshop

Thursday, April 10, Monthly Council Meeting

Monday, April 28, Agenda Workshop

Thursday, May 8, Monthly Council Meeting

Monday, June 2, Agenda Workshop

Thursday, June 12, Monthly Council Meeting

Monday, June 30, Agenda Workshop

Thursday, July 10, Monthly Council Meeting

Monday, August 4, Agenda Workshop

Thursday, August 14, Monthly Council Meeting

Tuesday, September 2, Agenda Workshop

Thursday, September 11, Monthly Council Meeting

Monday, September 29, Agenda Workshop

Thursday, October 9, Monthly Council Meeting

Monday, November 3, Agenda Workshop

Thursday, November 13, Monthly Council Meeting

Monday, December 1, Agenda Workshop

Thursday, December 11, Monthly Council Meeting

Monday, December 29, Agenda Workshop

All meeting locations are in the Flat Rock Village Hall unless otherwise dictated by space requirements or other circumstances.

All Monthly Council Meetings are scheduled for the second Thursday of each month, unless that Thursday is a holiday, and start at 9:30 a.m.

Agenda Workshops also start at 9:30 a.m. and precede Monthly Council Meetings by 10 days, unless that Monday is a holiday.

Check the village council agenda and meeting minutes online here.

Any takers? Flat Rock seeks bids for removing buildings

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

The Village of Flat Rock is seeking bids for someone to remove two buildings from its new park property at the former Highland Lake Golf Club.

The Village Council has determined that it will have no use for the old Course Doctors office and the cart barn when it makes improvements to the 66-acre park.

"If anyone would like to have them, if they would dismantle them and take them away, that would be the best of all worlds for the Village," Mayor Bob Staton said. "We need to dispose of the two buildings."

Engineers say that the concrete floor of the cart barn can be used for the pavilion the village plans as part of the phase 1 improvements. Moving of the building "must be undertaken with caution so as not to damage the concrete floor," the village said in a legal notice seeking bids for the buildings' removal. . .

Read it all.

Public hearings on Flat Rock village council agenda for December 12

Some highlights on the upcoming regular monthly Flat Rock village council meeting on Thursday, December 12, at 9:30 a.m., which will include the following public hearings:

• Ordinance No. 86, Capital Projects Budget Ordinance, The Park at Flat Rock 
• Ordinance No. 87, Amended Historic Landmarks Designation 
• Ordinance Historic Landmark Designation for Beaumont 

Under Old Business, the agenda lists a financial update on the Flat Rock Playhouse. Should be interesting.