The Boone Planning Commission on Monday voted 7-1 to recommend approval of a request to rezone parcels at 302 and 316 W. King St. from B-2 neighborhood business to B-1 central business, the zoning classification generally applied to downtown commercial properties.

First Baptist Church Board of Trust, First Baptist Church and Hospitality House of the Boone Area made the request to rezone the property, which is the former location of the Hospitality House homeless shelter.

The Hospitality House moved to a new facility off of Bamboo Road in March 2011 after spending 26 years at the King Street location.

“At present, the church has no proposed use of the property,” said Skip Greene, representing First Baptist Church, at an Aug. 6 public hearing on the request. “In each and every case, it would serve our purpose better if it were zoned B-1.”

The parties made the same request in 2010 — which was recommended for approval by the Planning Commission — but the Boone Town Council voted 3-2 to deny the request, expressing concerns about potential uses of the property and a desire to wait until revision of the Unified Development Ordinance’s Table of Permissible Uses was complete.

Since then, the council enacted transitional zoning, which requires developments located close to low-density residential areas to apply for special use permits and address their plans for mitigating potential negative impacts, such as noise and lighting. Located on a hill behind the property is Wallace Circle, the site of several residences.

The commission also unanimously voted to recommend approval of a rezoning request from Lowes Home Center Inc. and Innkeepers of Boone Inc. and Shore Management LLC. The property owners want to rezone the property from conditional use general  business to B-3 general business to easier facilitate the future sale of a portion of the Lowes Home Improvement parking lot. Lowes representatives said they do not need all of the current parking and hope to bring a new business to the site.

Board members called the proposal a great in-fill project.

“I’m all for taking the existing parking and using it to create jobs,” said commission member Greg Simmons.

The Boone Town Council will consider the rezoning requests during its regular monthly meeting, Aug. 21 and 23.