Boone Town Council heard the Ridgehouse pitch on Oct. 14. It was an informal discussion about apartments along the N.C. 105 Bypass, and the minutes record no vote.
Derek Goddard spoke for the developer, according to the minutes. He asked what it would take to win council's support. He confirmed the developer wants annexation. He said the project isn't necessarily aimed at students, and that some stormwater variances would likely be needed.
The packet doesn't say who the apartments are for. It does show the mix. There are 132 one-bedrooms, 84 two-bedrooms, 48 three-bedrooms and 68 four-bedrooms, 716 bedrooms in all across 332 units, with 738 parking spaces. The site is owned by Scout, Inc., and the plans were prepared by BREC, a Wilkesboro engineering firm. Neither the packet nor the minutes say who Ridgehouse Companies is. Our earlier story has the packet details.
Council made no promises. Council Member Anne Pruitt said council approved roughly 600 units, about 1,700 beds, in the past year that haven't come online, and asked whether anyone had run a market study. Mayor Pro Tem Todd Carter said the site suits higher density but he won't support renting by the bedroom. Council Member Virginia Roseman said she won't either, and was disappointed by the lack of green space. Council Member Adrian Tait said the surrounding area looks able to handle the traffic. Mayor Dalton George said he'd prefer housing for young professionals over students, and suggested council consider lower parking requirements if the project is student-oriented. About 18,100 students were enrolled on App State's Boone campus in fall 2025, in a town of 19,092 residents at the 2020 census. Not every student lives in town.
Boone's own rulebook leans against bedroom-by-bedroom rentals. As our Walk at Boone reporting laid out, the UDO requires every apartment with two or more bedrooms to include one bedroom at least a quarter larger than the rest, and allows a four-bedroom unit three bathrooms, two of which must open onto a hall. Renting by the bedroom works when every room costs the same. Those rules make that hard. Ridgehouse's plan includes 68 four-bedroom units. The preliminary plans in the council packet don't list any requests for exceptions to town standards, though Goddard told council some stormwater variances would likely be needed. Parking would be another. The plans show 738 spaces, and the UDO caps parking at two per unit, or 664 here. The plan would need a deviation, Amy Snider told left917. These rules apply inside Town jurisdiction. The parcel sits outside town limits.
Boone Next, the comprehensive plan adopted in June 2025, doesn't pick between student housing and anything else. It calls housing a high priority for low-income and workforce renters and buyers, and also names middle-income households and students. It mentions "student housing projects" as a recent trend, with no housing policy aimed at them. One concrete target for projects like this is to strive for 5 to 10 percent income-restricted units in new multi-unit construction. The plan doesn't regulate anything. The UDO does.
Town Attorney Allison Meade named the Town's weak spot. Site work is already underway, and the developer can build under County jurisdiction without the Town's approval. She also noted that more housing overall can help make the market more affordable and accessible. She asked what the developer needs from council as it weighs annexing against going ahead without it. Goddard said the grading isn't tied to a specific use and repeated that the developer wants annexation.
Annexation is what the Town has to offer. Zoning Administration Manager Amy Snider told left917 on Oct. 13 that the parcel sits outside town limits and needs annexation to get Town water and sewer. Until an application is filed, council has no formal step.
In public comment, Boone landlord David Welsh said he has relied on rental income since 1992 and is seeing longer vacancies for the first time in decades. He said rental supply keeps growing while App State's enrollment declines, and he told council he fears the proposed Highway 105 Bypass project would end up targeting student renters because of the financial incentives for developers. He urged council to use whatever authority it has to push for affordable housing over more student-oriented projects.
The Town's own housing play
Council also took up a grant for the WYN property. Planning Director Jane Shook and Grants Coordinator Laney Wise said Boone could apply for the CDBG-DR Workforce Housing for Ownership program, with reimbursement-based funding of $2 million to $5 million. Council voted 4-0, with Council Member Ball absent, to pay for engineering work, up to $25,000 from the Town's Affordable Housing funds. After Meade noted the town manager can approve professional-services contracts up to $50,000, the motion was amended so Interim Town Manager Hank Perkins can proceed under that authority.
Perkins raised concerns about the unknowns, especially financing and the effect on the proposed Public Works building. A commitment is due by the end of December. He cautioned against putting Public Works at risk.
Perkins is Boone's second interim manager in under a year. Council handed him the job Aug. 17, and on Oct. 14 it set aside $42,000 for the permanent manager search. Who Runs Boone: The Manager You Didn't Vote For has the background.
A rent rule for unlivable rentals
Meade also told council she'll work with staff on an amendment to the Minimum Housing Ordinance that would bar landlords from collecting rent on premises deemed uninhabitable. Asheville, Durham, Charlotte, Pineville and Pittsboro have passed similar ordinances, Meade said, and Charlotte's dates to 2007. Asheville's passed in September, according to WFAE. The Town couldn't enforce it directly. The idea is to strengthen tenants' hand when they sue in small claims court. Meade said the Town's best tool against bad rentals is enough staff to answer housing complaints. Council agreed by consensus to see draft language.