CHIMNEY ROCK, N.C. — A proposed plan to widen a one-lane road in Chimney Rock, which could help tourism, poses a problem for residents who live along the road: losing the little land they have left from Hurricane Helene.
It’s been five months since Helene ripped through the mountains of North Carolina. As communities continue to heal from the storm, many areas are trying to find solutions to bring tourism back.
The village of Chimney Rock was hit hard by the storm, which destroyed much of the town. It also destroyed the entrance to Chimney Rock State Park, one of the most popular state parks in North Carolina.
Related: Inside the N.C. mountain town that Helene nearly wiped off the map
As leaders look for ways to reopen the park as soon as possible, one proposed plan is causing concern among residents.
Southside Drive in Chimney Rock is home to only a couple of houses. But since the storm, it’s become one of the main access points for park rangers at the park.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation proposed a plan to widen the one-lane road to make it a main access point for the public in order to reopen the park.
Transport officials said the plan to use Southside Drive was chosen because it was the quickest and most cost-effective option to reopen the park.
While residents want the park to reopen as soon as possible, they say using the street would hurt their small community.
For resident Kim Singer, every day she walks outside she says it’s still hard to see the damage Helene left on her property.
“I have lost 55 feet. So my property basically went to the other side of where the river is now,” Singer said. “It's devastating. It just blows your mind. You can't believe it.”
Singer bought her house on Southside Drive in Chimney Rock in 2023. When Helene came through, her backyard, a back building and a two-story deck was pulled into the Broad River.
“I had actually a neighbor that lives across the way sent me a screenshot of a video that showed the damage to our river, and it showed my whole backyard was gone,” Singer said.
Since the storm, Singer has watched from across the river as crews have worked to put the small town back together, including finding a way to reopen the park.
“We want the town to open. We want the businesses to open. We want the park up and we want things to be back the way they were before,” Singer said.
In January, the town of Lake Lure came out with a proclamation asking state transportation officials to create a temporary access road to the state park behind the Lake Lure Inn on Lago Vista Drive. It's a spot that Lake Lure Mayor Carol Pritchett says the park already owns.
But now, Singer says the transportation agency has come forward with a new temporary access road plan, widening Southside Drive and connecting it to the park.
“The road is not very wide to begin with,” Singer said. “You can't come down here and take all our trees in our front yards after we all lost our backyards."“The road is not very wide to begin with,” Singer said. “You can't come down here and take all our trees in our front yards after we all lost our backyards."
She said the residents can't afford to lose even more when there are other options. Singer says she and other homeowners have voiced their concern to town leadership.
“We were told that it's the cheapest and the quickest option, so let's go forward with it. Well, maybe that's the case, but at the expense of your residents,” Singer said.
And while Singer said she knows how important it is to get the town and the park reopened, she hopes they can find alternative options to preserve the land homeowners have left.
“You know, the beauty of Chimney Rock has been destroyed, and all we want to do is bring it back and not at the expense of anyone,” Singer said. “Let's work together.”
According to the Transportation Department's website, crews will begin working on the temporary access to the park in April.
