Contact the Administrative Assistant for the JC Planning Board:
Allison Kelley from JC Planning Department:
Email: Allisonkelley@jacksonnc.org
Phone: (828) 631-2261
The announcement for the meeting will appear twice in the Crossroads Chronicle in editions published on March 10 and March 17. The notice will be in the Classifieds section under Legal Notices. We expect the notice will read : Call for Public Hearing for text amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Article IX Section 9.3 Cashiers commercial area Figure 9.1 & 9.2
Process: We recommend Every comment should begin with : I oppose any decision to remove the 5000 sq ft building limit and want the cashiers planning council to postpone the decision.
Also Please note that each speaker is allowed up to 3 minutes to comment; This ranges between 300 and 390 words.
It is not necessary to speak for three minutes, however we would like each speaker to make a general statement ... something like:
I oppose any decision to remove the 5000 sq ft building limit, we want thoughtful square footage limits and a process to get them that is inclusive of the community.
A nearly two year community process was undertaken between 2017 and 2019 with the assistance of experts regarding future development in Cashiers. An 86 page document was completed and forwarded to the County Commissioners. (Link: https://www.planning.jacksonnc.org/pdfs/Cashiers-Small-Area-Plan-ADOPTION-DRAFT.pdf)
The Purpose section of the Small Area Plan on Page 6, submitted to the County Commissioners regarding development in Cashiers reads “The preparation of a small area plan for the Village of Cashiers will help to guide development in a way that promotes positive growth while maintaining the rich natural environment, and will ensure projects proposed in this implementation-focused small area plan will become objectives for the County as well.
For the Small Area plan meetings, the Cashiers community members responded to a survey question about what they liked best in Cashiers and what should be a priority in future planning. The response to was: " Small, quiet, friendly. Beautiful landscape, cool summers and lots of recreation opportunities."
We understood the objectives and ordinances of the plan adopted by the County would reflect the will of the community. Apparently now we need to define small as intended. Removing the 5000 sq ft building size does not do that. It does the opposite.
Professional municipal planners that know Cashiers are available to work with us. Lets use them.
THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN LONG INVOLVED IN FORMAL INITIATIVES REGARDING HOW CASHIERS DEVELOPS. We need to value this work. Not ignore it.
In 2008, the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina sponsored a major planning effort, The Mountain Landscapes Initiative, a design process organized by Southwestern Commission Region A. Cashiers raised money to hold a mini-charrette to focus on the particular issues that related to our village.
The resulting "Toolbox" ( see link below) , a 224 page resources for planned growth throughout the county, including Cashiers collected valuable ideas and research. These were recommendations, not actual legislation. The work done through this process was developed by professionals and community leaders and provides thoughtful recommendations for Cashiers imagining what it would look like in 2027 ( on page 198 of the document )
A question: has this planning council had a chance to review the Mountain Landscape Initiative? Its recommendations speak to issues under consideration today.
The 2017 -2019 Small Area Plan was a continuation, not a redo, of this initial planning process.
Even before the Mountain Landscape Initiative, the Cashiers Historical Society (CHS) produced a "Vision Statement, date 5/15/2008 which attempted to articulate criteria for defining the Village Character of Cashiers. It includes a list of "places we value”.
CHS also conducted a major historic sites survey in 2011 focusing on the central crossroads areas of Cashiers. Research was done by noted architectural historian, Laura Phillips. It identified 49 historic buildings along the highway corridors of Hwy 107 and 64 where signs have been placed to note this distinction.
A National Trust for Historic Preservation spokesman Dwight Young visited Cashiers and helped us understand that our historic buildings, whether grand or modest, make up the heart and soul of our town.
A great deal of work, expertise and resources have already gone into a planning which can provide excellent guidance to this council. Equally important, planning speaks to the priority we all place on good, thoughtful, purposeful decisions about community growth including its history.
WE HAVE EXAMPLES LOCALLY FOR BUILDING SIZES. Local regions have standards for building size . What is being proposed is not a new concept . (Building limits exist & are on the books in other parts of Jackson County such as The 441 Gateway District.
Highlands also has codes which are worthwhile looking over. Click HERE to review.
Our concern is that without some advance input we don't know what types of buildings will be approved. Since there are plenty of examples and experts available , lets do this right . Moving forward now by eliminating the limit is not the right decision for Cashiers.
GOOD GOVERNANCE PROTECTS EVERYONE. We want our council to avoid making judgements about critical issues like building size because, it seems, a developer has a proposal waiting in the wings. Frankly, This just doesn't look right.
We have no need to rush this decision. Cashiers Planning Council should welcome input from the community and avoid what could be construed as pressure to yield to external forces ; we can create clear guidelines that provide a blueprint for future decision making. Collaboration should be the watchword for our local leaders . Growth is best defined by the people who live work and play in the community.
And we look forward to more predictability and transparency are ingredients that foster trust in decision making .
LESSONS LEARNED. Recently we learned a lot about how quickly things can move and how undesirable plans can come before the CPC. Had the community not gotten engaged on very short notice over the recent Macaulay project, we might be looking at 15 years of obstructed roads, deteriorating water systems, soil and land erosion, new safety issues, etc. As it happens, the only reason we are confronted with the situation today is because the lawyer for Develop Cashiers Responsibly applied the existing ordinance to the Macaulay project and found it was not in compliance. We should take this opportunity to now plan carefully on building size we can avoid similar challenges and consternation in the future.
NOT OPPOSED TO GROWTH PER SE. But we want full input . Responsible development. We want to be clear eyed about the future. The uniqueness and character of Cashiers can be preserved and planned as more developments present themselves. The future is here . If we don't plan responsibly, it will be too late after the fact and we will not like the results.
To quote Vickie Green, Assistant Director, Southwestern Commission, in 2008. “we can grow in ways that improve our quality of life not threaten it.
A TYPO, A MISTAKE. While we understand human error happens, we have yet to get a full explanation or understanding of how this was a mistake and for how long. We are disappointed that this happened but now we have had enough experience to appreciate the need for limitations on building size and we understand how useful it can be for both the community and decision makers. Let’s leave the 5000 sq ft limitation on the books, since it is the law , and not rush to eliminate it.