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Local News

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From the Blog

Watch the Landslide Hazard Presentation!
I hope you all will view the slideshow from the NC geological survey. It's given ... Read more

Global Water Crisis Leading Toward Privatization?
A segment on C-SPAN this morning highlighted a new documentary film on the growing global ... Read more

Boone Planning Commission Grapples

The following exchange between Boone Area Planning Commission members at Monday night's meeting ... Read more


Open Letter to Town Council from Andrea Capua

Dear Town Council Members: I want to write to express my appreciation for your ... Read more

Regional News
Jackson County Passes Strict Rules on Slope Development
Scott McLeod in The Smoky Mountain News, 8 Aug. 2007:

SYLVA, N.C. --  Jackson County commissioners have given final approval to what are generally regarded as the state’s toughest subdivision and steep slope ordinances.

The approval of the ordinances was followed by a lifting of the controversial moratorium on new subdivisions that was enacted in February to provide county planners time to develop the new ordinances.

Chairman Brian McMahan was the only commissioner to vote against the ordinances. He gave a long statement in which he professed agreement with their intent but argued that they went too far. “Everyone I’ve talked to is in ... Read more
Other Recent News
  • Ashe County Needs Land-Use Planning
  • Partnership Forum Highlights Planning Issues
  • Environmental Preservation Rated Top Concern of Watauga Residents
  • Jackson County Passes Strict Rules on Slope Development
  • Asheville City Council Passes Steep-Slope, Viewshed Regs.
  • Republicans Stall Steep-Slope Bill in Raleigh
  • Chatham Co. Moves Toward Moratorium on Residential Development
  • Sustainable Development Project Subject of Contest
  • Davidson Planners Address "Smart Growth" at PWF Forum
  • PWF Co-Hosts Davidson Planning Team in Boone
    • Planning News From Around the Web
    • New Highway Plans Clash With Greehouse Gas Reduction Plans

      • While the California Air Resources Board is proceeding with implementation of laws to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, highway planners are considering projects to accommodate more cars. Bill Fulton comments.

      read more

    • Killer Brown Clouds On The Rise

      • A U.N. report details the severity of the 'brown cloud' phenomenon affecting much of Asia and other parts of the planet. In addition to reducing sunlight and causing premature death, the clouds affect weather patterns, harvests, and glacier declines

      read more

    • Landscape Architecture, Reinvented

      • Landscape architect James Corner pushes the envelope of the field to create innovative projects like The High Line Park in New York. 'There is a desperate need for a different kind of professional who isn’t so Balkan­ized.'

      read more

    • Building a Resort on an Olympic Foundation

      • As it prepares to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, the beachfront Russian city of Sochi is hoping to become an attractive resort city. Money is flowing and development is under way, but some expect growing pains.

      read more

    • Residents Say Bridge Design Doesn't Fit

      • New bridge plans for the New York community of City Island has residents up in arms over what they see as an incompatible design.

      read more

    • Museums and Historic Preservation

      • An Eero Saarinen house in Indiana has been acquired by the Indianapolis Museum of Arts in a cross effort to preserve and exhibit the famous work. Christopher Hawthonre wonders if this could be a model other cities and museums should follow.

      read more

    • Pine Beetles' Wrath Spreads

      • The scourge of the pine beetle is wreaking havoc on forests all up and down North America, leaving behind millions of acres of dead trees.

      read more

    • The Planetizen News Brief

      • A weekly rundown of some of the most interesting and important news and issues, airing every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City". Read, download or listen to this week's News Brief, which looks at rail's big election, and some of the measures that passed all over the country supporting rail and transit systems.

      read more

    • With Last Recession Still Fresh in Mind, Hard Times Ahead for Architects

      • The economic recession will mean tough times for architects, who saw jobs cut by more than 40% during the last slump. Many in the field are wondering whether many architects will survive the current situation.

      read more

    • Officials Working Out Nitty-Gritty of Rail Project

      • Views are already beginning to clash as the California high-speed rail project begins its development process. But until environmental and design reports are available, many questions are to be left unanswered.

      read more
    Partnership News Updates

    ATTEND THE FORUM ON LIVABLE COMMUNITIES, April 18th
    .:: Local, regional, and national news of interest in Watauga County. - More Local News
    Communities across Western North Carolina face changes that affect our physical, economic, and social environments. We need to find collaborative approaches that will allow us to cope with these changes while preserving community character and livability.

    When communities succeed in finding balance between economic development and a high quality of life for its residents we should learn from them. The Town of Davidson received the 2004 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement in Overall Excellence. The award recognizes communities  that put "smart growth" principles such as open space and farmland preservation, walkable neighborhood design, affordable housing choices, and community visioning into practice.

    In the first of a series of events, the Levenson Program on Growth and Change in Western North Carolina is proud to host the High Country Forum for Livable Communities. At the forum, award winning planners from Davidson, NC will discuss their experiences in planning for livable communities. Regional decision makers and community members are invited to come learn how small communities can maintain a high quality of life while  attracting responsible development.

    "Forum on Livable Communities," April 18, 2007, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m., Broyhill Inn & Conference Center, Boone.

    NOTE: Though this event is free, seating is limited to 200. You are urged to click on "Event Registration" at the top of this page and follow the instructions.
     
    The Changing Landscape in Watauga County
    .:: Land in Watauga County - Watauga Log - Policy Decisions

    2 October 2006 ... In a special session vote (4-1, Dempsey Wilcox voting no), the Boone Town Council voted to regulate development on steep and very steep slopes (30 percent or greater).


    7 August 2006 ... Watauga County became the first county in North Carolina to adopt an ordinance permitting wind turbines for private residential use.


    13 June 2006 ...  The Boone Town Council passed a new moratorium on certain steep-slope development until the taskforce working on the issue can complete its work and make recommendations regarding ordinances to regulate such building.


    16 February 2006 ... The Boone Town Council extended the existing moratorium on multi-family housing complexes of more than 24 units for another three months, while work on a steep-slope development ordinance is being completed. Work is being done on a comprehensive map of hazardous slopes within the town's jurisdiction.


    27 June 2005 ... The Boone Town Council unanimously adopted Commercial Development Appearance Standards governing retaining walls, lighting, and other construction elements. The standards will become effective Jan. 1, 2006.


    19 May 2005 ... The Boone Town Council appointed 14 persons to a "steep slope development and multi-family housing" study committee, to study problems of building on steep slopes and to recommend action for ordinances to regulate future growth.


    22 February 2005 ... By a vote of 3-2 (Honeycutt and Blust voting against), the Watauga County Commission passed a resolution opposing the Bush administration's so-called "Clear Skies" initiative, which would lessen enforcement of out-of-state air pollution currently impacting North Carolina.

     

    17 February 2005 ... By a vote of 3-2 (Wilcox and Eggers voting against), the Boone Town Council passed a 1-year moratorium on multi-unit housing developments of more than 25 units, but the proposed moratorium on steep-slope development died without a second. Instead, the Town Council voted unanimously to study steep-slope development problems and to change the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to correct those problems "within 6 months."

     

    20 January 2005 … Following the completion of a water study which revealed that the town of Boone’s municipal water availability was far lower than previously thought (only 150,000 gals. per day rather than 450,000 gals.), the Boone Town Council adopted a water ordinance that apportions and restricts new tap-ons to residences and businesses within the Town of Boone only. No new developments outside the corporate limits, including those in the Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ), will be given water.

     
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