To appeal or not to appeal remains the question.

A village-proposed plan to move the downtown parking lot and open up the Village Green is on hold pending a decision from the Pinehurst Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) on whether or not to appeal a prior decision by the Board of Adjustment.

The commission in June had voted against the proposed project, saying it had concerns over its size and scale, and the removal of trees.

The Village Council appealed that ruling, and earlier this month the Board of Adjustment (BOA) ruled in favor of the village, ordering the commission to approve it.

However, the Historic Commission has not received written notification of the BOA's order, and won't get it until after the board's meeting on Nov. 1.

Once issued, the order will be sent to the members of the commission. The commission then will have 30 days to determine if it will appeal the ruling to Moore County Superior Court.

The next scheduled meeting of the commission is set for 4 p.m. Nov. 15.

The HPC met Thursday, and discussion of the appeal was listed on the meeting agenda, but no discussion was held. Commission Chair Howard Warren said the appeal would not be discussed because the BOA had not yet officially notified the commission of its ruling.

A couple of commission members seemed surprised that no discussion of the appeal was held. One member even said after the meeting that they had prepared comments to read during the discussion.

During the BOA appeal hearing on Oct. 4, attorneys for the village argued the commission used the wrong standard to make its decision, saying that the commissioners said the proposal was incongruent with the "core village" and not the entire historic district.

Attorneys for the commission argued that the changes to the parking lot encroached on the Village Green.

Village Council members have said they want to complete the planned improvements to the downtown in advance of June 2014, when Pinehurst hosts the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open in back-to-back weeks.

Contact Tom Embrey at (910) 693-2484 or tembrey@ thepilot.com.