County gears up for Smart Growth, Part II

By Lisa Majors-Duff

County leaders - including commissioners, town mayors and planning board members - gathered last Friday (Aug. 3) to review the results of 15 Smart Growth meetings held throughout the county from October 2000 to June of this year and to plan for a second round of community meetings.

The new meeting schedule, which includes 10 consecutive Tuesdays, is as follows: Cashiers, Hamburg and Mountain townships will meet at Blue Ridge School Sept. 4; Savannah and Greens Creek will meet at the Savannah Fire Department Sept. 11; Sylva will meet at Town Hall Sept. 18; River and Canada will meet at the Canada Fire Department Sept. 25.

Also, Qualla will meet at the Qualla Fire Department Oct. 2; Scotts Creek I, II, and III will meet at Scotts Creek School Oct. 9; Caney Fork will meet at the CDC Building Oct. 16; Webster will meet at the National Guard Armory Oct. 23; Cullowhee will meet at Cullowhee Valley School Oct. 30; and Barkers Creek and Dillsboro will meet at the Barkers Creek CDC Building Nov. 6. All meetings will begin at 7 p.m.

A 17-member committee was tentatively approved and will begin to develop a countywide plan using the results of both rounds of community meetings. Members include commissioners' Chairman Jay Denton, who will also chair the new committee; planning board members Jack Debnam, Bob Ginn, Page Bernstein, Kim Cowan and Pat McMillan; town representatives Jim Aust (Sylva), Susan Leveille (Webster), Ann Chambers (Forest Hills) and Mary Moody (Dillsboro); Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority members Mickey Luker and Marion Jones; EDC members Tom McClure and Frank Wilkie; Southwestern Community College representative Delos Monteith; Western Carolina University representative Chuck Wooten; and Department of Transportation Division 14 Engineer Ron Watson.

The second round of meetings will be used to present the first round results to the public and to glean any additional information that might have been missed or misunderstood, said McClure.

"We don't want to start over again," McClure told the group Friday. "We want to be very cautious when we open these back up. The next round of meetings will be more presentations and a request for pieces that are missing."

During the first round of meetings, Jackson County residents were invited to respond to two questions: "What is good about Jackson County which needs to be preserved?" and "What needs to be changed in Jackson County to make a better future?" After answering these questions, those in attendance were given three votes and asked to prioritize the issues most important to them.

According to data collected in the first round of meetings, 451 votes or 33.7 percent, were cast in favor of preserving the county's rural setting. Subcategories receiving votes included: scenic beauty, 100; small-town atmosphere, 99; natural environment, 59; rural character, 41; agriculture/farmland, 30; quiet/peaceful, 30; lakes and rivers, 27; mountains, 22; moral integrity, 19; and low population density, 13.

Data also indicates that citizens are overwhelmingly in favor of countywide regulations designed to preserve the area's best qualities. Some 263 votes, or 23.6 percent, were cast in favor of land use management being used as a means of making the county's future better. Subcategories receiving votes in this area included: zoning and land use regulations, 100; noise controls for helicopters and race tracks, 38; controls on trailer parks, 38; junk yard controls, 33; community-based zoning, 32; mountain and ridgetop protections, 4; stronger septic regulations, 4; stronger building codes and permitting process, 4; billboard, cell tower and other visual pollution controls, 4; no asphalt plants, 4; and storm water management, 2.

On the same topic, 30 votes were cast in support of river buffers and land use guidelines already in use by Jackson County, while 58 voters asked for general planning.

On the reverse side of the planning coin, 46 votes were cast in favor of a person's right to use their property as they wish, while 22 votes were cast for "no zoning." Sixteen other votes were cast against land-use regulations.

Preservation of Jackson County's environment received the second highest number of votes cast in response to Question 1. Some 219 votes were divided in this category as follows: water quality, 101; air quality, 43; clean streams, 27; low light pollution, 24; forests, 15; low industrial pollution, 6; and wildlife habitats, 3.

The environment was also an issue addressed by those concerned about the future of air and water quality and overall conservation. Twenty-four votes were cast for better air quality, while eight were cast for improved water quality. Twelve votes were cast for improved conservation measures.

Community services, including those provided by the government, received 148 votes, or 11 percent, as qualities to be preserved in Jackson County. The votes were broken down as follows: emergency management services and fire protection, 65; hospital, medical and nursing care, 35; law enforcement, 35; government, 7; libraries, 3; and transit system, 3.

Some of these same services were addressed as issues that need to be changed. Some 112 votes were cast in favor of increasing funds for EMS and fire protection, while 26 votes were cast for improved law enforcement. Improvements were also suggested in the areas of better and more affordable housing, 12 votes; improved facilities for the elderly, 6; libraries, 2; social services, 1.

Jackson County's community attributes received 113 votes, or 8.4 percent, under the category of things that should be preserved. The votes were divided as follow:

Heritage, local culture and traditions, 26; architecture, 21; quality of life, 21; arts and culture, 19; religion and churches, 11; community involvement, 10; and cultural diversity, 5. This issue did not have a corresponding element under Question 2. Preservation of schools and the county's education system came in fifth with 108 votes, or 8 percent, under Question 1. Those voting in this category gave the following approval rating: higher education, 39 votes; school and education programs, 28; teachers, 24; and community schools, 17.

On the flip side, voters also indicated that local schools could be improved. Votes in this category were cast as follows: government and school coordination, 55; education funding, 13; education programs, 8; and school facilities, 1.

The current level of recreational activities came in sixth in answer to Question 1 (preservation) and second in answer to Question 2 (improvements needed). Some 132 votes, or 11.8 percent, were cast in favor of improving recreation and entertainment opportunities and were broken down as follows: greenways, trails and bicycle lanes, 69; and recreation, parks, activities and facilities, 62. One vote was cast in favor of a civic center with planned events.

Those satisfied with recreation cast their votes as follows: fishing, boating, hiking and swimming, 32; national parks and game lands, 23; youth sports, activities and facilities, 14; and greenways and parks, 7.

The economy came up on both sides of the question as well. Some 62 votes were cast by those wished to see Jackson County's current level of industry (23 votes), employment (20), tourism (12) and trade and services (7) preserved.

On the other hand, 55 voters indicated the county needs more and better paying jobs, while 13 said the general economy needs to be improved. Other economic areas needing improvement included: promotion of "good" tourism, 7, and more franchise businesses, 4. Though discouragement of tourism was recorded, it received no votes.

County roads, traffic patters and general transportation issues came in third under Question 2 with 83 votes in favor of improvements. The votes in this category were divided as follows: roads and highways, 34; traffic problems, 32; transportation alternatives, 15; and public transportation, 2. On the other side, nine votes were cast in approval of the county's roads, its lack of traffic and its directional signage.

Some 56 votes were cast by those who would like to see improvements in the county taxes, while 16 votes were cast by those who generally approve of the county's tax rate.

The issue of litter, solid waste and recycling was also addressed during the meetings. Eleven votes were cast by those who approve of the county's system of garbage collection, while 54 votes were cast by those who would like to see improvements in the litter problem (27 votes), garbage disposal system (12), recycling (11) and better staff recycling centers (4).

Other issues citizens said needed improving included: Internet services, 16; liquor by the drink, 10; government, 7; animal control, 6; and agricultural programs and fairgrounds, 3.

Back to Archive: 08/09/01.