If Macon County develops and adopts a comprehensive land-use plan, it will have succeeded where few mountain counties have. We hope they do just that.

But being a pacesetter is never easy. Unlike adopting cell tower ordinances or floodplain regulations, there are few models to copy. The county’s leaders will be breaking new ground, just as developers are breaking ground throughout Macon as its population continues to swell.

Right now, commissioners have temporarily stopped all high-impact development. A moratorium that passed last week will ban for six months construction of asphalt plants, amusement parks, chip mills, concrete plants, hazardous waste disposal facilities, and a dozen or so other commercial enterprises that would affect nearby property owners if they were built.

The moratorium showed guts. Elected leaders don’t win popularity contests by getting into controversial debates with property rights advocates and economic development enthusiasts who dislike limiting the uses of private property.

In most cases, land-use discussions tend to split, divide and pit neighbors against neighbors. But it doesn’t have to be that way. This moratorium was recommended by the Vision 2025 committee, a broad-based citizen advisory committee that has been studying growth in Macon County. The temporary ban is not the concoction of some group of high-minded politicians. Rather, it’s the work of people who live, work and raise families in Macon County, people who want to see it prosper and retain its unique characteristics.

A few months ago Macon County held a public meeting where an attorney for the state association of county commissioners spoke about land-use planning at the state level. He mentioned that chances for obtaining state grants for everything from infrastructure development to environmental improvements will be greater for those counties who have land-use plans. Officials with groups like the state Clean Water Management Trust Fund - which gives out millions each year to protect and preserve land - admit that counties with a good track record for planning are given priority because they will make best use of the dollars they receive.

Macon County is in a precarious position. Its proximity to Atlanta and its unbelievable beauty is making it a hotspot for growth and development. Without a comprehensive land-use plan, its identity will be forever changed within a few years. Commissioners and citizens involved in this process will need courage, wisdom and discipline. They’ve shown all three so far, and continuing to do so may make it a model for all of WNC.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News