"The following is for informational
purposes only.  The content of this forwarded message and the views of the
sponsoring organization do not necessarily represent the views of the Swannanoa
Pride Community Coalition or its members."
 
This is not a Swannanoa Pride Community Coalition event but we thought it
might be of interest to those concerned with land use issues.

Rebecca
Williams
Land Use and Residential Development
SPCC

Mountain Voices
Alliance to host ‘Save Our Slopes" Rally
 
 
ASHEVILLE —
Mountain Voices Alliance (MVA) will host a march and rally to gain support for a
pause in building large scale developments to give us time to plan what we want
Western North Carolina to look like when our grandchildren grow up. The event
will take place on Saturday May 3 from 2-4 p.m. in downtown Asheville. The group
will meet at Pritchard Park and march to City/County Plaza to hear speakers and
music.
 
"Last year, Jackson County Commissioners adopted a temporary
building moratorium to give their planning department time to write stronger
ordinances to protect their community from poorly planned developments," said
MVA Chairwoman Elaine Lite. "It’s simply a pause to plan – a temporary, legal
tool to get a grip on unbridled growth. It’s not the final solution, but it’s a
start on  creating a regional long-term growth and land-use
plan."
 
Local governments around the state have increasingly turned
to building moratoria as a planning tool in the face of rapid, unplanned growth.
"We’re growing without any kind of regional plan," said Lite. "Our
infrastructure, social services, and natural resources cannot sustain the
pressure. This pause to plan will help us save our slopes and mountain culture
from further devastation."
 
MVA is also asking for a short halt on
level II and level III (large) projects in the city of Asheville until the
Downtown Master Plan is finished. The group also urges Buncombe County
Commissioners to enact a temporary building moratorium on large-scale
subdivisions and to commission a panel of scientists to complete a survey of
water availability in the county. In addition, this would give the planning
department time to write policy using that data.
 
"It only makes
sense to stop clear cutting the trees and grading the mountains until the N.C.
Geological Survey completes their landslide mapping of the county, after which,
public policy must be adjusted to protect residents from future landslides,"
said Lite.
 
Speakers at the May 3 rally include Rep. Ray Rapp of
Madison County who sponsored the North Carolina Steep Slope Construction Act (NC
House Bill 175); William Shelton, one of the Jackson County commissioners who
championed the temporary building moratorium in that county; and Garland
Calloway of Laurel Valley Watch (LVW) in Madison County. The event will also
feature an old-time music jam, so bring your instruments and clogging
shoes.
 
Mountain Voices Alliance (www.mvalliance.net)
works to preserve and protect the environment, including the natural beauty,
abundant resources, quality of life and cultural heritage of our communities.
This all-volunteer group actively opposed the Progress Energy oil plant in
Woodfin last year and helped raise awareness of policies to protect the area
from overdevelopment, especially the dangers of steep-slope
building.