News

Commissioners signal openness to changes in next comp plan phase

Commissioners David Hill and Rebecca McCall discuss comp plan before its adoption on March 21.

By Bill Moss, Published: March 27, 2024

Henderson County now has a 2045 comprehensive plan — a guide that is yet to contain the land-use categories and zoning that will determine what kind of development can go where.

“This is not a land development code and this not a zoning ordinance,” Rebecca McCall, the chair of the Board of Commissioners, assured a roomful of homeowners who had just spent an hour and a half lambasting the draft last Wednesday morning. “This is a plan. We have identified the problem. We have to study the problem before we come up with a solution. Yes, there could be some more meat in it, it could be stronger in some places.”

Commissioners’ unanimous vote to adopt the comp plan came after more than 20 speakers urged them either to dump the draft they had before them or significantly strengthen it.

“The current plan largely ignores survey results of the citizens’ overwhelmingly stated priorities to preserve open spaces, protect farmland and forest and rural land,” Ken Shelton, a retired physician, told commissioners. “The current version of the comp plan is a recipe for sprawl and inappropriate rural development. … Proper plans promote urban, higher density housing while conserving rural character and revitalizing existing commercial and industrial areas. Please don’t turn Henderson County into another Charlotte.”

“We know that flooding is a big issue here,” David Weintraub said. “What does the comp plan say about that? Absolutely nothing,”

Commissioners respond to criticism

McCall said in the five years she’s served, commissioners had approved only one large high-density development — the Tap Root dairy subdivision and apartment complex on Butler Bridge Road. The rest of the large developments permitted or under way, she said, have been authorized by the city of Hendersonville.

“There seems to be this misconception that we have approved all these developments that are going on that you see and we have not,” she said.

Commissioners took the first action that seemed to be in response to the barrage of criticism over sprawl.

Commissioner Bill Lapsley said the draft’s “red line” showing higher density development extended too far into rural areas.

“To me that red line needs to be closer to the existing city limits,” he said, suggesting the county “redraw it and pull it in.” After a break, commissioners did just that. “We need to make it clear to the city of Hendersonville that we do not want to encourage the expansion of their urban area beyond the red line,” he said.

“We shrunk it,” McCall said.

In another sign that the board has heard their constituents’ pleas, Commissioner Michael Edney said he favors eliminating conditional use zoning and special-use permits that allow commercial uses in residential zones.

“We need to get beyond the 10,000 foot level and start the implementation process because the implementation process is what is going to address the concerns that these folks have brought up today,” he said. “We need to abolish these conditional zoning concepts, which make us look like prostitutes negotiating with developers. And we need to eliminate special-use permits and replace them with black-and-white standards so that everybody knows what the rules are going in and, like it or not, that’s the rule and you don’t get into this quasi-judicial mess that causes heartache and anger.”

Lapsley endorsed that, too.

“This is just the first step in the process,” he said. Conditional zoning and special-use permits “have brought a lot of heartache and problems to our community and we need to get those changed ... and the sooner the better.”

Commissioner Daniel Andreotta blamed the city for permitting development and annexing newly built homes and businesses. “If the landowner says I’ll annex in exchange for water and sewer, it’s a done deal,” he said. “They don’t need our approval.”

In a videotaped Q&A sent out by the county’s communications office soon after commissioners adjourned their meeting, McCall sought to ensure residents that “some tweaks” are still to come.

“We know that growth is inevitable, but we need to have a way to manage that growth,” she said. “We can’t stop the growth as some people seem to want to do but we can manage it. … I would like to highlight the fact that a comprehensive plan is just that — it’s a plan. It’s an outline for moving forward in the next 20 years. It doesn’t have zoning ordinances in it. It’s not a land-use plan.”

The next step will be a lengthy process — guided by county planners and, likely, a consultant — to draft a new Land Development Code and rezone the county.

“This approximate 18-month process will require immense public participation to ensure the best possible outcome for the community,” the county says on its website.

‘Clearly, citizens have spoken’

Here are other comments from speakers who urged commissioners to kill or significantly amend the comp plan:

• Chuck McGrady, the former county commissioner and five-term state House member: “You commit to studying lots of things and considering some number of other things, but it is hard to discern what you’re actually going to do. And I’ll add that recent actions of the board don’t give me any confidence that the county will follow through on even the meager commitments to take actions that are made. ... Let my close by noting that ‘politics is the art of the possible.’ There are clearly deep divisions between county commissioners as to how to accomplish the broadly stated goals. I doubt further consideration of the draft comprehensive plan is likely to improve it.”
• Sharon Willen: “We want a plan guided by conservation, not sprawl. Your action today will either build trust or animosity toward local government.”
• Mike Reid, one of hundreds of Etowah residents concerned about dense development: “You must decide if you’re here to do the will of the people. Remember, the will of the people is what put you here.”
• Konnie Hall, who along with her husband is waging a fierce battle to force First Contact Ministries to close its drug rehab center across the road from their Orchard Lake Campground in Saluda: “Clearly the citizens of Henderson County have spoken, with two county commissioners losing their seats not by hundreds but by thousands of votes. That clearly points to dissatisfaction with the current governing board among the people.”
• David Weintraub, former director of the Environmental Conservation Organization and current director of the Center for Cultural Preservation: “The comp plan you’re about to vote on pales in comparison to what many of your constituents have asked for — namely protecting open space, rural areas, preserving farmland and preventing sprawl. … In short, this is not a comprehensive plan but instead an incomprehensible plan. You know many of our rural communities have struggled, and yet everything in this plan that cries out for land protection has been slashed and burned, leaving very little left other than a comp plan in name only.”

• Jason Jordan: “We recognize the complexity of urban planning and the myriad of factors that must be considered in charting a course forward. We also know that invaluable insights, perspectives and lived experiences of residents are indispensable — ensuring that development aligns with the desires of the people that serve. Therefore, we respectfully urge the council to embrace a collaborative approach for long-term planning, one that welcomes community input, fosters dialogue and cultivates partnerships between local government and its citizens.”
• Joe Elliott: “From the inception of the process, your management has been heavy handed with little regard for the observations and recommendations of the folks that you were elected to serve. You shoved aside the opinions of over 7,000 Henderson County citizens who took the time to respond to your survey in the belief that you would actually consider their concerns and suggestions. You ignored the county planning board summary of that community input and directed them instead to reshape their recommendations to fit your preconceived expectations.”