It is without doubt the most complicated, perplexing issue we who live in these mountains are now facing-- how to deal with growth and development and the losses that accompany them

Last week Briggs Gilliam of the Tuckasegee community wrote a letter to this newspaper about Balsam Mountain Preserve (it also appeared in Sunday’s Asheville Citizen-Times). He called the developers “carpetbaggers,” and said the very idea of labeling the 4,400-acre planned community a “preserve” was a misnomer: “After all, housing developments and country clubs do enjoy a curious tradition of assuming the names of the natural places they’ve ruined.”

What struck a chord in Gilliam’s letter, however, was the tone -- reasoned, intelligent, informed. He wasn’t just spouting off vitriolic attacks, which, unfortunately, occur too often when land-use issues come up for discussion. His letter was more of a lament about the passing of a way of life.

There are dozens of different variations and tangents to the land-use debate, but here is the dilemma I think Gilliam’s letter points out -- if we continue as we are, which means no zoning and no land-use plans, allowing locals to use the land as they wish (for hunting, fishing, hiking and biking, in Gilliam’s letter) and keeping land values down so locals can afford the taxes, how can we also prevent those with deep pockets from moving in and doing as they wish with that same land? Is it possible to have it both ways?

Mark Jamison of Cullowhee has jumped head first into this debate in Jackson County, but his interest pre-dated plans for Balsam Mountain Preserve. Jamison owns a piece of land close to the Village of Forrest Hills, and when that township decided it would look closely at creating an extra-territorial planning district, he became one of the most vocal critics of the plan.

Jamison is an intelligent man with strong views on land use. One of the positions he argues forcefully, and convincingly (and I hope I’m getting his position precisely correct), is that zoning in rural areas alters the traditional land-use patterns that have evolved in the mountains. He says that, in addition to telling people what they can do with their land, zoning leads to fragmentation of rural communities. When land prices and property tax bills go up, the pastureland, farmland and forest land often becomes too valuable to leave undeveloped. People are forced to sell, communities are destroyed and the traditional cultural life of the mountains goes with it.

There’s little doubt that most of what he argues is true. The debate, then, is how to keep that from happening. Many argue that we should do nothing. Let the land alone, and allow market forces -- not government regulation, ie, zoning or land-use plans -- determine the future.

Others, however, argue an even more unusual solution -- enacting regulations that would, somehow, prevent the entrance of outsiders. That is an interesting concept, but finding a way to do it is tricky. Many believe that stopping the growth most believe inevitable is the only way to preserve the best of mountain land and culture.

Perhaps the only way to achieve that would be to enact land transfer taxes so high they would stymie the real estate market. That proposal, however, would run into strong opposition from the real estate community, much of which is comprised of local businessmen and women who have a lot of clout in local politics.

There are groups taking measures other than taxes or zoning to preserve their communities. When Haywood County commissioners last year proposed seeking a federal grant to build sewer lines into the rural Bethel community, citizens organized and convinced commissioners such a move would irrevocably change that community for the worse. Due to existing rivers, farms, and the floodplain, that community has grown somewhat haphazardly over the years, but the area retains a rural flavor. Sewer lines, the group argued, would bring in commercial growth and densely packed housing developments, driving up land prices and destroying the area’s unique culture. They held sway, and commissioners dropped the idea.

Another friend who works on development-related issues raised another point in relation to Balsam Mountain Preserve -- how will it affect the affordable housing dilemma in these mountains?

Those two points aren’t directly related, but there is a connection. More and more, land is becoming too expensive to build $80,000 and $90,000 homes on. As land prices continue to surge upward, as this area becomes known as a resort and retirement community, where will working people live? It’s an issue leaders must address.

There is another important factor to consider in land use, one that is becoming increasingly important -- the integrity of the environment. Although we have hundreds of thousands of acres in Western North Carolina in protected status, anyone who studies the issue knows that development tends to harm streams, destroy natural habitats, and bring in more people who pollute the air with their vehicles and energy use.

Research shows that Chaffin-/Light Associates (the developers of Balsam Mountain Preserve) have earned a sterling reputation in development and environmental circles for going the extra mile to do the job right.

Much of what Gilliam wrote is true -- it will be an upper-crust development for those with deep pockets. The land will eventually be off limits to most locals, but the fish, birds and other animals who depend on it will likely survive and even thrive. The water flowing out of the development will most likely be clean. School groups and other organizations will forever have the opportunity to visit and have trained biologists and others explain ecosystems and give tours.

While this “preserve” will be off limits to much of the public, it will e better for the environment than 99 percent of the development that is occurring now in the mountains. And the taxes it will generate may help keep the tax rate lower for other, less affluent citizens as the demand for schools and other infrastructure grow in Jackson County.

In the end, perhaps Balsam Mountain Preserve will help Jackson County citizens realize the need to continue discussing development issues, a discussion that could help pave the way for a growth plan that precisely spells out just what we want to preserve and how.
(Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com)

 

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