Dear Developers,

This is a plea from more than 1,500 concerned citizens of the Jackson County community who signed a petition stating that we do not support your planned 4,400-acre development and golf course on the Sugar Loaf Mountain/Dark Ridge Creek watershed.

We believe your development is wrong - no matter how “green” you make it - because it will destroy the integrity and accessibility of the last large, undeveloped non-public wilderness area in the county.
We implore you, therefore, to do the right thing: cancel your project and give us the opportunity to buy back Sugar Loaf Mountain for inclusion in the existing public forests which surround it.

We do recognize your right to buy land and then sell it for a profit. You chose Sugar Loaf for the high market value of its uninterrupted beauty and relative seclusion. But the tragic irony here is that your development represents an extravagance in consumerism and lifestyle which threatens the overall beauty, wildness and biodiversity which form the identity and allure of our much-coveted region.

We know that a land grab is taking place right now in our county and the surrounding area. Both the pace of this sell-off and the fact that our local and state leaders remain inactive on this issue disturb us.

As developers vie for the largest and most pristine tracts of mountain land left, we are experiencing, by ever-widening degrees, a corresponding despoilment and unnecessary crowding of an already precarious Southern Appalachian landscape.

We want you to understand that our soul-moving unblemished mountain views, grand expanses of wilderness, trout-laden mountain streams, solitary peaks and diverse abundance of life entail a value that is priceless and profound beyond any mere economic measure. What we have left in terms of these natural endowments should be preserved and kept open for all to use and appreciate, not sacrificed to summer homes and seasonal playgrounds for the affluent.

We understand that a reversal of your plans at this late stage will be difficult and probably painful, but not impossible. We hope that you are perceptive enough to see past the relatively short-lived and hollow monetary gains on your investment. We pray that you are honest enough to admit that Sugar Loaf Mountain, our county’s tallest and most prominent landmark, deserves a better, more dignified fate.

Briggs Gilliam and Friends of Sugar Loaf
briggsgilliam@hotmail.com

 

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The Smoky Mountain News