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CASHIERS, NC, May 19, 2008 – Planner Kevin Klinkenberg from 180 Degrees Design Studio explained his team’s plan for presenting future growth strategies for Cashiers this way: “We see it as offering a series of choices.”

That approach seemed to please charrette participants in Cashiers:

[ STORY CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO > ]

The Cashiers study is one of four model projects in the Mountain Landscapes Initiative “Toolbox” effort. To get a feel for the context and launch of the meetings in Cashiers, go here.

As the Cashiers team wrapped a four-day on-site charrette on Saturday, another team concluded a charrette in the Cowee Community in North Macon County. Now the full Lawrence Group contingent is together at the main charrette studio at Western Carolina University, refining work for the final presentation Tuesday night. (Get the schedule and directions.)

At the final presentation, these case studies will be used to illustrate the application of some of the “Toolbox” tools for responsible planning and development. In each of the case studies, assigned team members are measuring their approaches against citizen goals established during an extensive outreach process that began in November of 2007. During that process, citizen hopes and concerns were turned into 10 Top Questions that set the agenda for the main “Toolbox” charrette at Western, the two satellite charrettes, and the other case studies.

In the case of Cashiers, the team had additional research to draw on, since The Community Fund of Cashiers undertook a 2007 study to assess needs. Issues rated as the most serious concerns by those surveyed included: Housing cost and availability, traffic, community growth and planning, and environmental protection. To see the complete study, go here.

All of the projects will be integrated into Tuesday night’s concluding presentation, with final reports and the “Toolbox” itself available in both printed and online versions by the end of the summer.

You can follow the charrette process through each day by clicking on the dates on the toolbar above. And you can get detailed introductions to the broader Mountain Landscapes Initiative project and the pilot “Toolbox” effort by going to the “Overview” section in the up right-hand navigation links.