Jackson County approves contract to merge planning ordinances

A 14-month process to overhaul Jackson County’s splintered planning ordinances is now underway following the county commissioners’ unanimous approval of a $66,000 contract for Raleigh-based Stewart, Inc. to lead the project.

Sylva considers food truck rules

More than a year after the food truck controversy in Waynesville prompted Sylva to review its own regulations, a proposed food truck ordinance is on its way to a public hearing and vote at the July 13 town commissioner meeting.

Franklin discusses climate change resolution

The town of Franklin is considering how to become more environmentally friendly after being presented with a climate solutions resolution from The Canary Coalition.

Which ridge? Steep slope ordinance returns to planning board

Jackson County may have thought it was finished talking about its steep slope ordinance for a while when a much-debated revision to the document passed in 2015, but the planning board is gearing up to address yet another facet of the ordinance — which ridges in the county should fall under the definition of “protected mountain ridge.”

Haywood County high-impact development ordinance passes

Children, the elderly, the ill, the mentally challenged and the incarcerated in Haywood County all have at least one thing in common: in the event of an emergency or evacuation, they might not be able to move to safety quickly or efficiently.

Jackson board tweaks cell tower ordinance

After surviving the first application process under the new wireless communication rules, Jackson County commissioners directed the planning board to look for ways to improve the ordinance.

Maggie Valley to regulate outdoor sales

Although the closure of Ghost Town in the Sky several years back has left many Maggie Valley businesses struggling just to keep their doors open, others like the half-century-old Joey’s Pancake House and the 15-year-old Wheels Through Time motorcycle museum have continued to succeed despite slowly climbing tourism numbers amidst the lingering aftertaste of the worst recession in living memory.

High impact development ordinance to protect vulnerable populations

Haywood County commissioners are considering an ordinance that would ensure that certain types of developments do not pose adverse effects to residents.

Maggie to establish penalties for code violations

The town of Maggie Valley has been working on cleaning up the U.S. 19 corridor for more than a year, but it needs to beef up its enforcement ordinance to make further progress. 

Animal control plan presented to Swain commissioners

It’s been more than a year since the Swain County commissioners charged a newly formed ad hoc committee with tackling a longstanding controversial issue — the county’s lack of animal control.

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