Lynn and Richard Jefferys were already concerned about the pace of mountainside development in Haywood County, but when news broke that developers were planning a 4,500-acre commercial resort in Jonathan Valley their concern turned to alarm.

“This will be another Pigeon Forge,” Richard Jefferys said.

They weren’t the only ones. Soon, a group of neighbors opposed to the development began communicating via email. In November, an informal group of less than 20 met at the library to discuss slowing the development. They decided to meet the following month at the Jonathan Creek fire station and agreed to spread the word among friends and neighbors. The next meeting grew to more than 60.

“It was packed — packed. The number tripled,” said Lynn Jefferys. “In just one month of networking look how many people we got.”

The development prompting such opposition is called Cataloochee Wilderness Resorts. It purports to be a 4,500 acre development to include an outlet mall, two lakes, snow skiing, two golf courses, a movie theater, condos, a hotel and 2,000 homes. It would encompass an area larger than Waynesville. Although the developers have yet to purchase a single parcel of land, the mere thought of it has invoked the ire of newcomers and natives alike.

“I think the people in this county were already having their envelope pushed,” Jefferys said. “People already had that surfacing in their consciousness and this sort of pushed them over the edge.”

To sustain the momentum and add to the ranks, they decided to organize under a formal group: a Haywood chapter of the WNC Alliance to be called Haywood Community Alliance.

The WNC Alliance is a grassroots organization with chapters in several mountain counties, each with their own flavor and focused on their own missions. In Haywood, the chapter will advocate for more stringent controls on development. The group plans to lobby county commissioners to step up to the plate on development issues, Jefferys said. The group is already circulating a petition to that end.

“Obviously there is going to be development. But also with development you have people who become victims of development,” Jefferys said.

The group also hopes to incite local communities to think about how development is effecting them. This will be a forum to talk about ideas, strategy and concerns, Jefferys said.

Development is likely to be a top campaign issue in the Haywood County commissioners race this year. Democrat Mark Swanger, a candidate running for county commissioner in the May primary, has cited the need for grassroots community planning.

Want to go?

A new group of residents advocating for tougher restrictions on development in Haywood County will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, in the conference room on the main floor of the Waynesville library. Public is welcome. For information, call the Jefferys at 828.926.8386 or email lynn.jefferys@gmail.com.