Neighbors Unhappy About Plans To Cut Down Historic Tree On South Main

A decision to cut a large sugar maple tree, supposedly one of the largest and oldest in the High Country, has been met with disappointment by the South Main Street neighborhood and with action by city hall.
Earlier this year the owners of the property, that was the former home of the late Glenn Coffey’s Blue Ridge Motel, desided to cut a large sugar maple that occupies a prominent spot near the center of the lot. A man employed by the family came in January to take the large historic tree down and it was shortly after he had trimmed several large limbs from the tree that the Town of Blowing Rock notified him he was in violation of a municipal ordinance. An ordinance requires a permit for any tree removal over a certain circumference, and that three fell within those peremieters and no permit had been issued.
The action by the town also halted any further damage to the tree by the owners of the property.
In the resolution of the issue the estate was fined $500 and a permit was issued for the owner to remove the tree. A spokesperson for the town said that the fine, as in similar cases, will be used to plant new trees in the village and to protect and rescue other trees threatened by development or disease.
Several members of the city council and the Planning and Zoning staff join neighbors in acknowledging their disappointment that the tree is going to be cut down, however the property owners are now in compliance with city ordinances, and the decision is up to them.
“It’s just sad this tree, which is not diseased or is not yet in the path of construction, is going to be cut down,” said an adjoining property owner. “This is a beautiful tree, especially in the fall, and it has a lot of history behind it. I just don’t know why the owners want to take it down.”