The Frog and Swan antique store in Tryon is seeking to be de-annexed from town limits.
Tryon Town Council met last week and approved the de-annexation, which also must be approved by the state.
Frog and Swan owner Randall Grobe said he was not for the annexation in the beginning and feels like he was promised services he never received.
Grobe said he met with former town manager Jim Fatland at the time, who made some promises that couldnt be kept, such as sidewalks and other improvements in the area.
“My thought at the time was that this would not only improve my business, but help Adams Mill prospect for succeeding, but that possibility is no longer in existence,” Grobe said in a letter to the town. “There also are no sidewalks or improvements in this area. Mr. Fatland had some great ideas and implemented many but unfortunately made some promises that could not be met.”
Frog and Swan was one of a few properties who sought voluntary annexation about four to five years ago when Adams Mill, the formerly Barnett Southern building had plans for a mixed use development. Those plans have been put on hold since Adams Mill was also annexed into town limits. Council members said allowing Frog and Swan will set a precedence in the area for other properties to seek de-annexation.
The properties were voluntarily annexed during a time when the town was discussing a special TIF district, where taxes would be used specifically to make improvements along U.S. 176 or South Trade Street. Grobe said in his letter that he was told by Fatland that his neighbors would not be affected by his being annexed into town, which turned out not to be the case.
Town attorney Bailey Nager said the state has approved only about a dozen de-annexations in the last 30 years. The town will need a local bill sponsored in the N.C. General Assembly, which will make the final decision.