<< Back 5/22/02 Frog Level gets parking; building gets local historic designation By Scott McLeod Frog Level’s star seems to keep rising. Last week the 11,000-square-foot building now owned by the Pierce family and known as the J.B. Henry Warehouse was granted a Local Historic Landmark designation, which means it meets a set of criteria set out by the local Historic Preservation Commission. In addition to the Custom Creations dinnerware business currently housed in the old warehouse, plans are to open a coffee shop, cafe and coffee roasting business. Perhaps more important for the revival of the entire Frog Level district, however, is the prospect that a nice, well-landscaped parking area will soon be developed. The town board approved a lease with Norfolk Southern Railroad for the tract of land bordered by Commerce and Depot streets. It will used to provide public parking. “This would fulfill one of the commitments the town made to the Frog Level Merchants Association to assist with providing more parking in that area,” Town Manager Lee Galloway wrote in an agenda message recommending the board approve the lease with Norfolk Southern. The town will pay $200 per month for the half-acre tract across from Waynesville Supply. A plan developed by the town four years ago includes a sidewalk and plantings as part of the parking area development. The parking area should help another new business that will soon open in Frog Level that will be housed in the warehouse-like structure on Commerce Street that was granted the Local Historic Designation last week. Custom Creations, the pottery business that sells dinnerware nationwide, occupies about a 6,500-square-foot section of the building. The Pierce family is in the process of building a cafe and coffee shop in the other 4,000 square feet. It is expected to open in June. The two projects are being praised by those who support the Frog Level revival. “What they have done is absolutely amazing,” said Ron Fleenor, a member of the town Historic Preservation Commission and a member of the family that owns the Suyetta Park Inn. The inn sits on a hill overlooking Frog Level. The landmark designation means the community recognizes the warehouse as an important historic resource worthy of preservation. Any substantial exterior renovations would have to be approved by the town’s Historic Preservation Commission. The building’s owners will be able to defer up to 50 percent of the applicable property taxes on the building. The two new developments in the Frog Level area are part of series of improvements to the once thriving business district in the last two years. The Frog Level Merchants Association has developed a comprehensive development plan for the area, which at one time was the hub of retail, trade and tourism in Waynesville because of the railroad and the depot. The Frog Level Association wants to try and rebuild the depot and turn it into a museum, and it also envisions one day having passenger rail service to Waynesville. Getting curbing and guttering taken care of is also one of the group’s priorities, and working out the deal with Norfolk Southern for the parking lot may resolve that issue.The group also hopes a produce and fruit market will open.