HAYWOOD COUNTY DEVELOPMENT GETS MLI TREATMENT

CULLOWHEE, NC, May 20, 2008 – One of the four model projects created as case studies for the Mountain Landscapes Initiative “Toolbox” effort is one volunteered by a Haywood County development team.

See a video overview by charrette team member Tony Sease below:

[ STORY CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO > ]

Mountain Watch, a 270-acre parcel between Waynesville and Maggie Valley, offers many of the challenges facing builders and developers in the region. There are steep slopes, a variety of soils, and storm water drainage issues – and, of course, the requirement that property owners make a decent return on their investment.

Haywood Waterways Association has been working with the contractor, using an environmental site assessment process the non-profit group developed. The charrette team will build on HWA’s process and add some design components to give the developer options for creating a profitable project while preserving as much of the sensitive landscape as possible.

The Mountain Watch project analysis will be folded into the charrette’s concluding presentation on Tuesday night, May 20, in the theater at Western Carolina University’s University Center. A reception begins at 5 p.m., with the presentation at 6.

At the April 8 Haywood County Community Forum, attendees underlined some of the same concerns as other county participants. Among the things on their “Tool Box” wish list: An array of new planning approaches and alternatives for protecting water quality.

One of the questions the Haywood group brought to Forum discussions was this: Is there way to mix tax incentives with well-thought-out regulations to encourage the kind of development that communities want?

Expect to hear more about those kinds of policy approaches at the May charrette.

Also: Watch this space for more about a model project in Haywood County. Thanks to work already in progress by the Haywood Waterways Association, an interested developer is offering his steep-sloped parcel as a case study in environmental site analysis.

Here’s a sampling of Haywood County Forum views from April 8:

Haywood, home to Waynesville, is the largest of the seven counties in Region A. According to the 2006 U.S. Census estimate, the year-round population is 56,447.

The non-profit Haywood Waterways Association is a regional leader in environmental site analysis and will partner with the Mountain Landscapes Initiative “Tool Box” pilot to offer a model project with a private developer.

Watch this page for more county-oriented updates and reports.