Community Planning Committee at SNCA
Township
Update
Mountain and Hillside Protection
Nacoochee Highlands Development
Stop Interstate-3
How to Get Involved and Give us Feedback
The mission of the Community Panning Committee is to review and evaluate issues that have the potential to encroach on the rural character or the quality of the environment in our area. Over the past three years, the committee has been active in supporting mountain and hillside protection, reviewing the Nacoochee Village/Nacoochee Highlands development, and supporting land-use planning. The major activities of the committee are summarized below. We encourage you to get involved – see the end of this page to find out how to get started!
Update on what's happening with the Georgia Township Act
In November of 2007 the Board gave the Community Planning Committee the green light to pursue passage of the Georgia Township Act on behalf of SNCA. Our assignment was (1) to find out more about the bill, (2) to try to get Township qualifications liberalized so that rural communities like ours could become a Township, and (3) to educate the community about the pros and cons of Townships vs. municipalities vs. historic districts. With the volunteer help of respected lobbyist Robb Willis, president of the Public Affairs Group for the Atlanta-based global law firm Troutman Sanders, and SNCA Board member Liza Purcell we were successful in getting the "density requirement" language of the Township Act changed so that zip code 30571 would have qualified if the bill had passed. Unfortunately the bill did not make it out of the House Rules Committee for a vote this last session. Robb and Liza have agreed to assist the committee in the coming year and will start work shortly to begin laying the foundation for passage of the bill during the 2009 legislative session.
We've learned a lot about the process and will start now to craft a modified "Township" bill that it will be applicable to rural as well as urban areas and address questions and concerns regarding the Act as currently written. Step one is to hold a strategy session with Rob and Liza to map out an effective plan. We already know that we will want to get the support of the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia for our modifications. We also will need to line up a local legislative sponsor for the bill. More importantly, we will need to meet face to face with as many legislators as possible to convince them that they should support the revised Georgia Township Act. As we get closer to the 2009 legislative session we may be asking SNCA members to sign up on teams to visit the Capitol to help make our case. Stay tuned for further updates.
Mountain and Hillside Protection
November 29, 2005 was an historic day for White County. The county was the first in Georgia to pass a mountain and hillside protection ordinance. Our congratulations and heartfelt thanks go out to the two commissioners who voted for this important regulation. A survey of county residents showed that the vast majority of respondents support land-use controls such as mountain and hillside protection.
The mountain and hillside protection ordinance applies only to land that has a slope of 25% or greater (defined as 1 ft change in elevation for each 4 ft of horizontal travel). Only 9% of the non-federal and non-state land in the county has 25% slope or greater. Figure 1 shows the areas of White County to which mountain and hillside protection applies.
Although the passing of the mountain and hillside protection ordinance was a great victory for the county, the work of those dedicated to preserving the natural rural character of the county has just begun. The ordinance will be reviewed periodically, and the Community Planning Committee will offer its inputs as these changes are considered. In December 2006, the White County Commission amended the ordinance to simplify it and make it more readable (see http://www.whitecounty.net/planning/Mountain-Hillside%20protection%202006.pdf for the changes). These changes were constructive, and we hope future county commissioners will continue to support the ordinance.
Nacoochee Village and Nacoochee Highlands Developments
At their May 2, 2005 meeting, the county commission approved the building
of the first 40 homes (subsequently amended to 60 homes) in Phase 1 of
Nacoochee Highlands, adjacent to Bean Creek. The commissioners wisely
made the approval contingent on three conditions. The first is that the
entire residential part of Nacoochee Village adhere to a revised master
plan (see Figure 2), which shows 200 homes on 550 acres, leaving lots
of green space. The second condition is that the building be limited
to 40 houses until the entrance from route 17 is completed. Third, the
approval is conditioned on any and all commercial and multi-family units
being served with public sewer and water.
The Nacoochee Village development also includes a commercial district,
as shown in Figure 3. This part was approved by the White County Commission
in 1997.
Concessions by the developer of Nacoochee Village, Mr. Tom Slick, have
made this development much more suitable for the Sautee Nacoochee area.
In particular, Mr. Slick has successfully negotiated with the Trust for
Public Land for them to acquire options to buy 150 of the 300 acres of
the commercial section of Nacoochee Village (see Figure 4). This acquisition
will protect the “horse-shoe” bend in the Chattahoochee River,
and the ridges to the west of it. This will preserve the “view-shed” of
the Nacoochee Valley that motorists see when traveling west on state
route 17 near its junction with route 75. The options also include a
large tract directly across the river from Nora Mill, extending on the
east to Hardman Road and on the north to Helen. This tract contains a
number of historic resources that could enhance the Hardman Farm preserve.
Also, as mentioned above, Mr. Slick and his planner, Danny Otter, have
come up with a master plan for the residential part of Nacoochee Highlands
that calls for only about 200 houses on 550 acres, leaving large parts
of the land as green space.
Based on the improved nature of the development plan, and subject to
the conditions mentioned above, the SNCA Community Planning Committee
supported the County Commission's decision to permit the building of
the first 60 houses. We believe that the decision is the best outcome
for all concerned. . The alternative to this well-planned development
was the possibility of many small developments which, because the County's
antiquated subdivision regulations at the time, would not have been subject
to any of the above conditions. (The subdivision regulations were amended
in December, 2006).
Stop Interstate-3
The SNCA Community Planning Committee and Environmental Group strongly support the Stop I-3 movement. The Stop I-3 website, www.stopi-3.org, is full of information regarding the highway, including color maps showing potential impacts of the highway in relation to cities and wilderness areas. The website also has a link to the resolutions of local governments in Georgia and North Carolina that have come out in opposition to the highway.
Most important, the website provides a way to get involved. Folks can join the coalition, sign a petition, and donate money on the website. There is also a link to a blog for people who want to have their say.
We hope you will join the Stop I-3 movement and get involved. The coalition now has approximately 30 supporting organizations and a million and a half members, including former Georgia governor Roy Barnes. It is urgent that more people get and stay actively involved if we’re going to stop this highway from cutting through the beautiful southern Appalachian Mountains!
How to Get Involved and Give us Feedback
The SNCA Community Planning Committee will continue to monitor the Nacoochee Village development, mountain and hillside protection, and other issues that affect or community and environment. We appreciate the support of the community in attending County Commission and Planning Board meetings. We hope you will continue to stay involved and vocal. If you would like to learn more, or get involved, please call Ted Doll at 706-878-2526, or Sam Williams at 706-878-3306. If you would like to give us feedback or express concerns about issues in our community, please e-mail Ted Doll at tdoll@alltel.net. Thanks for your concern!
