Front Street Partners of Murfreesboro, Tenn., bought the property, from Hickory’s Vernon Scarborough at 241 Shadowline Drive for a mixed-use space for App State students, according to an article from the Watauga Democrat in July.

Mixed-use spaces must have business, retail or other permitted uses, Stacey Miller, chief building inspector for Planning and Inspection for Town of Boone, wrote in an email.

“The leasing office and any amenities for the residences can not be substituted for this required area,” Miller wrote in an email.

This extra space will be on the first level of the unit, said Jane Shook, director for Planning and Inspection for Town of Boone and project manager of zoning.

“For this location, it is required that 100% of the ground level be commercial, so no residential units on the ground floor,” Shook said. 

Storage and a real estate office with take up the first floor. 

With more housing and business spaces needed, the purchase reminds some of how the community and university have grown over the years.

The mixed-use space will also provide housing for students, along with amenities for the residents.

Other Mountaineers said extra housing in Boone is needed. 

“It may be beneficial considering that some students don’t have housing,” said Kierra Boone, a senior social work major. “Boone definitely has a lot of crowding, so it may help in that sense.”

Boone said she knows people who have had issues with housing overflow in the past.

This mixed-use space is permitted for 260,359 square feet and will be five stories, Miller said. It will have 174 units with options of 1-4 bedrooms.