More than 200 people turned out to a meeting in Macon County last week (July 28) to rail against the developer of a 1,500-acre gated subdivision sweeping across Cowee Mountain.

The meeting was sponsored by WNC Alliance, a regional environmental advocacy group, and Macon Tomorrow, a group that promotes land-use planning in Macon County. Organizers frequently tried to steer discussion back toward the purpose of the meeting, which was discussing solutions for rapid growth in Macon County.

“We hear you are developing a very expensive community with a lot of luxurious homes. What are you doing for the people who live here other than just using our resources?” asked a resident who lives ner the development.

The developer Robert Ullmann told the audience Macon County has become a resort community and more development like his is on the way.

“You are not going to avoid development and you are not going to completely prohibit development,” Ullmann said. “If you think Macon County won’t change, I can assure you it will.”

Ullmann said the best people can hope for is to pass some land-use regulations to prevent irresponsible developers from ruining the mountains. Ullmann said his is a responsible development.

But that didn’t placate the crowd. Complaints included increased traffic the development will cause in Cowee Valley, the loss of the forested mountainside flanking U.S. 441, the increase in property values, and the loss of community that could be associated with a gated seasonal resort subdivision.

Residents complained about air pollution caused by the massive burning of trees being cut from the 1,500 acres and construction trucks driving too fast. Some also lamented the loss of an area used for hiking, biking, hunting and four-wheeling.

“It was open territory for anybody,” said Ron Packer, who loved to four-wheel on the land.

Many also questioned if the developer would contribute to the fire station and schools that would now be overburdened and have to expand, an expense that would fall on all county taxpayers.

Macon County planner Stacey Guffey asked the crowd not to take out anger on Ullmann, who was generous enough to come to the meeting.

“The only thing we can do as a community to ensure we have the kind of development we want in Macon County is push for reasonable controls. If somebody comes in here and does something we don’t like, everyone of us in this room is to blame,” said Guffey. “I have 30 years worth of subdivision regulations that have been written and proposed but never enacted. The public will wasn’t there.”

The audience seemed to overwhelmingly support Guffey’s assertion. In an informal survey of 15 people following the meeting, all said the county needed land-use regulations.

While most in the room accepted that development of the mountains as inevitable, the development of Cowee Mountain could have been stopped several years ago if local conservation groups and land trusts had been able to raise the money to buy the tract or put a conservation easement on it. But relying on private donations and grants — and with saving the 4,000-acre Needmore tract along the Little Tennessee taking top priority at that time — conservation groups were unable to compete with market forces.

Those surveyed were also asked if they would support a 1-cent increase on the property tax rate to go into a trust that would help fund conservation easements on land in Macon County so it wouldn’t be developed. About two-thirds said they would support that idea.