Text Amendment Info

TEXT AMENDMENT PUBLIC HEARING INFO AND TALKING POINTS OVERVIEW

Thank you for your interest in participating in the Public Hearing on the Text Amendment. Here are the directions on how to participate and the general themes we are conveying to the Council.

Emailing the Council Members is also encouraged, their emails are HERE

How to request to speak at the public hearing by 12 Noon March 22:

Email or Call the Administrative Assistant for the JC Planning Board:

Allison Kelley

Email: Allisonkelley@jacksonnc.org

Phone: (828) 631-2261

Speaking time is limited to 3 minutes.

Key Talking Points:

The following points are a guide to what we are trying to convey to the Council. A statement as

to how the lack of any building square foot size affects you as a resident/landowner/business

owner in Cashiers will make the most IMPACT with the Council, it should reflect each of our

personal feelings and experiences.

#1 - Repeal and Replace: By eliminating the 5,000 sq. ft. limit and not replacing it at the same

time, we open ourselves up to any size building being approved. If as the county says, it is a

typo it should not simply be removed as a “text amendment”, but should be replaced by

appropriate guidelines for building density and size based on building usage (civic, business,

residential). We want community collaboration in creating these protections rather than just

removing the 5,000 sq ft limit leaving us with no other guideline than the following notation in

the Jackson County Unified Development Ordinance (UDO):

a) Structure size standards. New structures in the Village Center District shall not exceed a footprint of 1,500 square feet unless approved as a special use in accordance with the provisions set forth in Section 3.7.15.

Without additional guidelines the size of all buildings in the Village Center and the General

Commercial District are simply left up to the discretion of the members of the Cashiers Planning

Council via the “special use” pathway.

If you need clarification what areas are the Village Center and the General Commercial Districts,

you can find it here: https://www.planning.jacksonnc.org/pdfs/cashiers-zoning-map.pdf

#2 - Community Participation: The community should be part of the discussion on building

size limits as it was during the creation of the Cashiers Small Area Plan, which states that

buildings should be small and medium in size. The Cashiers Planning Council currently

shoulders all the responsibility for approval, rather than relying on guidelines on size that should

be developed in collaboration with community feedback. Through the Small Area Plan the

community specifically called out “maintaining traditional scale of development in the Village

Center” as an important goal.. and we believe the community should be part of the discussion if

the existing size limits are to be modified.

Per the UDO: Village Center District (VC) (i) Purpose. The Village Center District is

established to provide an area for development that will enhance the traditional

commercial core of the village. Ease of access between businesses and the sharing

of parking are encouraged through the standards established for the Village Center

District. Development in this district should be sensitive to and accommodate

pedestrians and also provide for adequate and safe vehicular access. Maintaining

the traditional scale of development in the village center is an important goal of

this district.

#3 - Due Diligence: Develop Cashiers Responsibly has retained Stewart, Inc (the same

planning firm that worked to develop the Cashiers Small Area Plan) to provide expert guidance

on building size and density, as it relates to Cashiers generally and the Small Area Plan in

particular. We are asking the Cashiers Area Planning Council not to rush into simply removing

the 5000 sq ft limit, but rather to carefully consider this expert guidance and collaborate with the

community. We would ask that the Cashiers Planning Council take all that into consideration

and post pone the removal of the 5,000 sq ft limit until they can complete a meaningful

collaborative, inclusive discussion with the community.