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Tuesday, 05 December 2006 17:37 |
Swannanoa residents mull
possibility of incorporation
SWANNANOA ÇƒÓ Though talks are only in a preliminary stage, a number of Swannanoa residents are considering incorporating as a town.
About 65 people gathered last Thursday night to debate the future of the community at the first meeting of the Incorporation Task Force. The meeting was organized by the Swannanoa Pride Community Coalition.
Though a wide range of views were expressed at the forum, the majority of attendees said they either wanted more information or supported incorporation.
Carol Groben, a spokesperson for the group, said it would begin the process by considering issues such as where the proposed townës boundaries would be, what amount of property taxes it would levy and what services it would offer.
The meeting follows an Oct. 17 community gathering, at which more than 400 residents discussed incorporation, annexation and other topics.
Twice before, the area has tried to incorporate ÇƒÓ in 1993 and 1974. In the 1974 attempt, a small but vocal group of opponents defeated the movement, according to Milton Hollifield.
The earliest an incorporation application could be presented to the state General Assembly would be 2008, Groben noted.
Cliffs to follow new rules
about slope management
The management of The Cliffs, a planned development in Swannanoa, will adhere to the countyës new steep-slope regulations, despite having submitted plans prior to the enactment of those rules, a spokesman announced last Thursday.
The decision reverses a former position that the company would be grandfathered into the older rules.
The Cliffs was one of 23 development proposals that was submitted just before the countyës July 1 deadline for the new rules to go into effect.
However, the Swannanoa Pride Coalition, a community organization founded last summer, had asked the management of The Cliffs to abide by the new rules.
The company had initially rejected that request and the county Planning Board had approved its request to be grandfathered in under the old regulations.
However, The Cliffs President Jim Anthony wrote in a letter to Assistant County Manager Jon Creighton, dated Nov. 27, that the company would modify its plans to comply with the new rules "in response to environmental concerns shared by us."
As a result, the new development will likely be smaller than the 600 lots initially proposed.
Members of the SPC expressed appreciation for the companyës decision.
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