Public shares hopes and concerns for development of Cowee Valley
By Tony Wheeler
Staff Writer
Macon County was among the first counties to join in the initiative through the Southwestern Commission. David Walters of the Lawrence Group described the Toolbox concept as being given all the tools needed to better handle development.
“One community may use different tools than another, thus avoiding one-size-fits-all policies,” he said.
The MLI Toolbox pilot is a three-stage project: a sixmonth- long outreach program in the seven western counties and the Qualla Boundary; a weeklong public workshop called a “charrette” at Western Carolina University; and a follow-up Toolbox publication and implementation phase following the charrette.
The community forums leading into the charrette took place throughout April. The charrette was held May 13-20 at WCU and a satellite charrette was held in Macon County at Cowee Valley on May 15-17. A satellite charrette was also held in Cashiers. The Lawrence Group of town planners and architects has been the lead consultants in the initiative.
Throughout the charrettes, the public was invited to drop in at any given time during the day to be interviewed by members of the initiative and to voice concerns regarding the neighborhood and development. At the end of the day, team leaders held a “pin-up” session with attendees, compiling the concerns and actually pinning them to the wall for all to see.
“It’s a form of de-briefing, where people have been working on different things during the day come together and share the information,” John Cock of the Lawrence Group said at the Cowee workshop.
Discussions were aimed at addressing the top 10 issues identified by analysis of input gathered through previous interviews and community forums. Those issues include mountainside and ridgetop development; a region’s infrastructure needs to keep up with growth; and how growing communities can remain respectful of local cultural heritage.
At the wrap-up on Tuesday, residents and leaders from throughout the westernmost counties came to hear the presentation of a team of design and planning specialists who have been collaborating with residents over the last week.
Lawrence Group principal Craig Lewis led the audience through an exploration of the first draft of the Toolbox. He explained, first of all, the genesis of the project in the region itself, then covered the lead-in to the weeklong charrette.
If there was one key strategy for the Toolbox, said Lewis, it was the necessity for planning – “to determine a community vision,” he said, and to plan in ways that increase the chances of realizing that vision. Part B in such a planning process may be to enact regulations to enable a plan.
“But don’t even think about going to B before you go through A, the planning process,” Lewis said. “If you’re going to end up with regulations that don’t serve your vision or that inhibit it, you’re better off without the regulations.”
Lewis gave attendees a sample of Toolbox contents that would explain how to approach planning in comprehensive ways that deal simultaneously with many of the Top 10 questions, especially those having to do with environmental sensitivity. He showed step-by-step processes recommended for planning not only parcels of land, but also whole communities and transportation networks.
The second half of the presentation was devoted to applying many of the tools in the Toolbox to the four specific case studies, which will be included in the final draft. The studies were in Cashiers in Jackson County for growth strategies and designs; Cowee Valley in Macon County for cultural landscape analysis;Mountain Watch in Haywood County for site analysis and design for private development; and Wood Farm in Cherokee for the design and financial strategy of a family farm.
The rough draft of the Toolbox shows its contents to include the planning process, environmental tools, transportation tools, aesthetic protection tools, the protection of cultural and historic landscapes, protection of open space, affordable housing, farmland preservation, economic systems, and the details of the case studies.
“When you can have a dovetail of best return and implementation of best procedures at the same time, it’s a wonderful marriage and very exciting,” he said.
David Walters of the Lawrence Group of town planners, was one of the team leaders for the MLI charrette at Cowee Valley and spoke of the results after the presentation at WCU.
“It’s easy to be so romantic about the rural lifestyle and the beauty, but underneath that romance I found the folks to be very focused in their own understanding of their potential and their problems, and they’re attacking those problems with an underlying optimism I found very impressive,” he said.
Eric Moberg, chairman of the Cowee Community Development Organization, said that after seeing the conclusion of the landscapes initiative on Tuesday, the community feels stronger now than ever.
“What a great opportunity this has been for our community. Hopefully, we can fulfill some of the things they are proposing that we can do,” Moberg said.
Throughout the initiative process, one thing stood out, said Ben Brown, communications director for the MLI.
“Everybody, no matter where they're from, talked about the importance of local food and protecting the farms. There has been a reawakening to the concerns of farmers and beef and pork producers. Everybody wants to buy their food locally,” he said.
Community Foundation vice-president Bob Wagner announced, before the presentation, that the foundation had secured funding from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation for a Next Steps Fund to take projects inspired by the Toolbox to the next stage of implementation.
During the Cowee workshop, Wendell Ligon, who has owned a home in the valley for 35 years, called the meetings a foundation and said different people looking at the same things always helps.
“Growth concerns us all,” he said. “We want to try to preserve what makes us love the place – the scenery and the quality of life.”
First off for the Cowee charrette, the community was asked to define itself. Residents mentioned the Perry Water Gardens, ruby mines, the natural beauty of the valley, views, longtime residents, the cultural heritage of farmland, “ruralness,” lack of regulations, a good place for family, and Cowee being away from the “hustle and bustle.”
The cultural heritage of the valley was explained further to include music — concerts or events, get-togethers, church singings and revivals, homemade entertainment and old-time music having Celtic roots — and the independence of local people. Quilting and the canning of local food was also included in the heritage.
Historic patterns of development was discussed. Homes are not built in floodplains or on ridgetops, but in the bottomlands for farming purposes or near streams or sheltered coves, or are clustered around the mill or other civic locales. Limited access to regional destinations has created a self-contained community in Cowee.
Social and economic issues and conditions were addressed at the charrette. Currently there are no intensive agricultural endeavors in the area. Farming is done parttime and some animal husbandry takes place. The population consists mostly of retirees or people who work outside the area, thus, a need exists to generate something that will attract young families to Cowee. The opening of job opportunities would help combat the exodus of local people moving away. Cowee has experienced growth at a rate of only 25 percent over the last 10 years. The integration of new residents in Cowee is presently described as good, but there is a need for events or places which bring people together. The area is tainted somewhat by a locals versus newcomers mentality which causes tensions regarding resources, loss of land and heritage, and the loss of land as an inheritance.
“A lot of what we do in the Toolbox initiative helps people get along better. We show property owners a way for development that satisfies the community. Instead of stopping development, the public and private sectors can begin working together," Walters said.
The significant natural features of the area were discussed, and what places the community wants to conserve. The history of the area is of paramount importance to Cowee residents and they insist on protecting the ridgetops and mountainsides from development. They also want the churches and community places throughout the valley preserved, along with the old names such as those for roads. They are also interested in getting a historic designation, along with historic markers and maps.
The community is torn by the idea of development. Some say there has already been enough. Others say Cowee will “dry up” without development. Residents who want it, want it done using architecture appropriate to the history. They want to enhance the older buildings and want architectural guidelines in place for developing the community, citing Cashiers and Boone as examples. They also cite Waynesville, but for a different reason. They don’t want Cowee to look like Waynesville, with homes built on hillsides. Seeking affordable housing is one of the community's major concerns.
In closing, transportation and connectivity issues were addressed. The major concern for residents is the widening of Hwy. 28. That would kill Cowee, they said, and impact the adjacent fields, homes and rural character of the place. Access is also a concern, both to the river and to public parking. The people there would like to see more places for public access, so that they can enjoy such things as picnics, places to camp and fish and would like to see a greenway with walking trails and maybe a bike loop around the valley.
The rough draft version of the Toolbox suggests the next steps for Cowee Valley: A Hwy. 28 corridor study for scenic byway, conversion of Cowee School to a community facility, re-use of the Rickman Store, a comprehensive cultural and historic landscape plan which includes the Cowee Mound, encouragement of new housing, and a plan for pedestrian and river access.
The Toolbox will now go from the rough draft presented on Tuesday to a final draft that will be available later this summer, both on-line and at local distribution sources. For more information, visit www.mountainlandscapesnc.org or call Ben Brown at 828-508-5002.