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Board cautious on Lake Summit marina idea

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners waded cautiously into the idea of allowing a marina and other commercial development on Lake Summit, with two board members expressing reservations and the board on the whole stopping short of endorsing the idea.


Historically the site of summer camps and lakefront homes, Lake Summit has been the scene of several drowning deaths of young people in recent years, Commissioner Michael Edney said.
"Lake Summit has... no good public place where people can swim and do it in a safe environment," he said. Instead, teenagers often are "trespassing over the railroad tracks to get in the water down there. Now's a time for us to look" at a zoning option that could allow a public swimming area.
Edney's remarks came as the Board of Commissioners took up broad land-use plans for Edneyville, Dana and the Green River, Tuxedo and Zirconia areas.
"I would like to give the people the opportunity and option to maybe develop a commercial marina and a commercial area if it's feasible to do," Edney said. "At least the areas along Old U.S. 25, maybe moving that local commercial (along the highway) all the way to the lakefront. I think local commercial allows residential so it does not change that but it opens up the potential and allows commercial development to the lake."
Chairman Charlie Messer said while he did not object to exploring a lakefront commercial zoning option, "Personally I think we're going to get into a private property issue."
Edney responded: "This gives the private property owner more options and not less options."
Still, commissioners expressed caution if not outright opposition to the idea.
"You need to discuss it with homeowners and Duke Power," said Commissioner Larry Young. "They may not want public guests."
The board voted to adopt the zoning recommendation for residential zoning around the lake as recommended by a grassroots public process and the county Planning Board. It sent Edney's marine idea to the Planning Board for review.
"You've got a lot of property owners on that side — Duke Energy, private owners, (and) we, Henderson County, own that property next to it," Commissioner Tommy Thompson said, referring to the new Tuxedo Community Park. "I don't want to push down your idea but I think we need to finish what we've got and come back with the idea that we might want to come back and do what you're saying."