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County leaders move toward moratoriums
By Justin Goble
County commissioners appear poised to consider a moratorium that would halt subdivision development while ordinances governing their construction are drafted.
Officials Tuesday (Jan. 23) unanimously approved motions that instructs county Manager Ken Westmoreland to prepare resolutions calling for moratoriums on both subdivisions and commercial development along the U.S. 441 corridor in the Qualla area.
Both motions were made by Commissioner Tom Massie, who added discussion of moratoriums to commissioner’s Tuesday night meeting agenda.
Massie said county leaders need to put a hold on development in the county until the planning board can finalize ordinances dealing with subdivisions and commercial development between Sylva and Cherokee.
County attorney Paul Holt said commissioners would need to specify exact boundaries for a moratorium along U.S. 441 so people will know what land is under consideration.
Massie said Westmoreland would be able to define the boundary when drawing up the resolution. He also entrusted Westmoreland with the duty of deciding what will be considered a subdivision, since the county does not currently have an ordinance in place to deal with such developments.
“As (Michael) Egan (a lawyer hired by the planning board to help with draft ordinances) said, it would be a whole lot better if we had a subdivision ordinance in place,” Massie said. “Unfortunately, we don’t. But that doesn’t have to stop us from going ahead with this.”
Commissioners’ Chairman Brian McMahan asked if a moratorium on steep-slope and ridgetop development should be considered as well. Since much of that development is associated with subdivisions, Massie said halting their construction should protect ridgetops and slopes as well.
“We’re developing ordinances on subdivisions and steep-slope development concurrently,” Massie said. “If we get those done before the moratorium ends, then everything will fall under those ordinances at that time.”
Westmoreland said that he would be able to have the resolutions for commissioners to discuss at their meeting Monday, Feb. 5. If commissioners approve the drafts, they can then schedule a public hearing on the resolutions, which is required before they come to a vote.
“We can get the clock running,” Massie said. “We may be able to have a public hearing by the end of February.”
During a Jan. 3 meeting with representatives from the county’s planning board, commissioners deemed subdivisions, steep-slope development and commercial development along the U.S. 441 corridor as the issues needing immediate attention in the new year.
At that meeting, commissioners tasked the planning board with drafting ordinances for all three concerns. Discussions on proposed ordinances began during the planning board’s Jan. 11 meeting.
Planning board members will continue to work on those ordinances tonight (Thursday). Members will meet in room A-227 of the Justice Center at 6 p.m.
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