Dermatologist affected by construction at N. Highland Lake Rd. makes big decision
FLAT ROCK - A road "modernization" most Flat Rock residents didn't want is moving forward by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, and nearly all of the business owners along that road are saying construction is affecting their businesses.
The North Highland Lake Road project has even prompted one of the business owners, Dr. Seth Cohen, who co-owns Hendersonville Dermatology at 15 Market Center with Dr. Jaqueline Selph, to consider retiring earlier than he expected. Their practice was opened in 2016, and Cohen said he had plans to expand.
But the project changed all that.
'Completely blocked off'
Cohen has taken several photos and videos of the day-to-day construction and posted them on social media on the Hendersonville, NC Facebook page.
"Access to our office from North Highland Lake Road has been completely blocked off from both directions for three months. They tore up the road and then the work came to a standstill," he told the Times-News on Sept. 1. "There is no reasonable way to get around the road closure. Patients struggle to make their appointments, because the only access to my office is by little known back roads. Furthermore, our staff are stretched extra thin on the phone dealing with calls all day long from patients who are lost or need directions."
Originally, the contract duration was set to end in a couple of weeks from now. It was from Oct. 1, 2021 to Sept. 15, 2023, but the project experienced delays. The initial cost to NCDOT estimate was $2.6 million, and now the current estimate is $9.97 million. The road’s lane widths will remain the same, each at 11 feet wide, but the project adds shoulders, curb and gutter on the north side and three turn lanes. It affects 1.1 miles between Greenville and Spartanburg highways.
Cohen said he's been following the project since its first proposal and even spoke in front of the Hendersonville City Council against it.
"Most people in the area believed it was totally unnecessary and wasteful spending," Cohen said. "It has been horrible for my office which is at the center of most of the work. Furthermore, the Highland Lake Road detour is very inconvenient for a large number of commuters. I totally agree with (vice mayor) Anne (Coletta) that it will go well into 2025 and, I'll add that the cost will exceed the current quote of $9 million."
Cohen said the noise and building vibrations from the heavy equipment have been unsettling for him, his staff and patients.
"I knew that the roadwork would create a lot of hassles, but I had no idea how much worse it would end up being. Most people don’t know, but the work has actually been going on for at least a year. Yes, they have been doing preparatory utility work and have dug up a trench twice on the side of my office," he said.
More: Relocation of main sewer line extends completion date of N. Highland Lake Road project
A major change of plans
Cohen, a Pennsylvania native who moved to Henderson County in 2015, said his original plan was to build more space and bring on more board certified dermatologists to this community, but as the construction continues, he's decided to change those plans.
"I love my patients and my work. I loved coming down beautiful North Highland Lake road to my office every morning. The late Ed Lastein, landscape architect, designed both my office and the adjacent Park at Flat Rock. It was awesome. Now, it is a total mess and it will be that way into 2025. I don’t want to spend my last few years working like this," he said.
He said his original intent was to work until 2030.
"However, over the past three months of construction, I have decided to pursue other interests," he said. "I loved working in Flat Rock, but this debacle has prompted me to retire much earlier than planned. I will be leaving the practice by April 2024."
Another factor in his decision was social media, he said.
"There were quite a number of people on our local social media pages who expressed a very negative sentiment towards people like myself who are not from here. Additionally, an outspoken minority were openly hostile towards my point of view about the road construction and its effects on my practice. These things contributed to my decision to move on," he said.
Cohen said starting in 2025, he plans to be working part-time at various practices throughout the country and maybe even in New Zealand.
"Plans are in progress. I will also be setting up a teledermatology practice to care for patients with psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and vitiligo," he said.
How are the other businesses, points of interest?
Two of the other main businesses affected by the construction are Dale's Automotive, located at 398 N. Highland Lake Rd., and Highland Lake Inn, located at 86 Lily Pad Lane.
In the past three months at Dale's Automotive, the business has largely been unaffected by the construction, according to Service Writer Doug Hudson.
"As far as our business goes, it's accessible on Spartanburg Highway end. Ninety percent of our business is our regular customers anyway, so it really hasn't affected us too much at all," Hudson told the Times-News on Aug. 31.
The Park at Flat Rock is also still accessible by getting on North Highland Lake Road from Spartanburg Highway. Laurie Blate-Baker of Bee Well Health Consultants, located at 391 Highland Golf Drive, posted on Facebook for drivers to be cautious coming to The Park.
"Please be exceptionally carefully coming into and leaving The Park, because they're having vehicles use the entrance as both or the exit as both, and it's very narrow," her post on the Hendersonville, NC Facebook page said. "(There are) lots of hidden danger since no one knows what's happening. It'll still be open but please, please, please do be very careful and move very slowly."
Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: A doctor has made a decision following ongoing construction
