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Tuesday, 24 October 2006 16:59 |
SWANNANOA ÇƒÓ Development, annexation and incorporation were common themes at a meeting of about 400 people at the Swannanoa Fire Department on Oct. 17.
The forum was organized by the newly formed Swannanoa Pride Community Coalition to provide residents an opportunity to share their concerns and hopes about the future of Swannanoa.
The area has endured a number of manufacturing plant closings in recent years, including the shuttering of the Beacon Manufacturing building, a longtime cornerstone of the community.
Among the participants were several elected officials, including
Buncombe County commissioners and state House and Senate
representatives.
One recurring theme was a concern over the potential impact of The
Cliffs Community, a planned subdivision that will include nearly 600
lots on almost 1,300 acres.
The development will be the largest subdivision built in the county
since it began regulating subdivision in rural areas in the 1990s.
One woman asked whether The Cliffs would adhere to steep-slope
regulations recently enacted by the county. While those regulations
were passed after The Cliffsë developers submitted their application,
the woman requested that they adhere to them as a good-faith gesture.
In response, Donald Nickell Jr., the subdivisionës senior director of
planning and development, said that they would abide by the regulations
that were in place at the time of the application.
Other residents expressed enthusiasm for the potential economic growth that such developments might bring to the region.
Still others urged that the "downtown" area of Swannanoa be cleaned up and that the community take more pride in its region.
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