Commission to review proposed Cashiers zoning ordinance July 7

By Lisa Majors-Duff

Jackson County commissioners have scheduled a special meeting for Monday, July 7, to work on and take public comment about a proposal to establish zoning regulations in the Cashiers business district.

A 6 p.m. work session at Blue Ridge School will be followed by a 7 p.m. public hearing, during which speakers will have about 3 minutes each to voice their opinion on the contents of the document.

Since Commissioner Eddie Madden first proposed the idea of county-controlled zoning regulations in the Cashiers business district in January, a seven-member task force and a professional planning consultant have been ironing out the details of such a plan. The purpose of the land development ordinance, Madden said, would be to establish a framework of regulations designed to "preserve the area's unique character."

The county's power to establish zoning districts of at least 640 acres is set forth by North Carolina General Statutes "for the purpose of promoting health, safety, morals, or general welfare."

Within the statute, the Legislature granted the counties the power to "regulate and restrict the height, number of stories and size of buildings and other structures, the percentage of lots that may be occupied, the size of yards, courts and other open spaces, the density of population, and the location and use of buildings, structures, and land for trade, industry, residence or other purposes..."

Such regulations are needed in the Cashiers business district, Madden said, to control growth in the area, which has been targeted by businesses such as Lowes and Bi-Lo for possible expansion.

Madden, who represents the Cashiers area on the county board, called the zoning plan an "alternative" to an incorporation effort under way for many of the same reasons. While incorporation would allow the residents of Cashiers to establish home rule with regard to regulations, the effort must clear many hurdles, including a vote of those to be included in the resulting town limits scheduled for August.

The proposed Cashiers land development ordinance, which is some 100 pages long, begins by stating the purpose and defining the area to be covered under the guidelines. In its third article, the ordinance establishes the decision-making, administrative and advisory bodies required to oversee the rules that follow, while article four provides a detailed description of permitting procedures and design review.

Elements of new construction proposed to be regulated include setbacks, parking and loading standards, landscaping and buffering, lighting, signage and structure maintenance. The document concludes with an enforcement article, which outlines penalties for violations.

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