TOWN OF MAGGIE VALLEY

BOARD OF ALDERMEN/ PLANNING BOARD WORKSHOP

JANUARY 17, 2007

MINUTES

 

 

Aldermen Present:      Mayor Roger McElroy, Colin Edwards, Mark DeMeola, and                                               Saralyn Price

Council member Absence:      Phil Aldridge

Planning Board Members Present:      Chairman Billy Brede, John Schreiber, Bill                                                                            Chamberlin, Scott Pauley and June Johnson

Staff Present:              Manager Tim Barth, Planning Director Nathan Clark and Town                                           Clerk Vickie Best

 

The workshop began at 9:10 a.m. in the Town Hall Conference Room.

 

The Planning Board members wanted to update Council on Planning Board activities.

 

Chairman Brede explained how an amendment for architectural review for Commercial properties would be coming before Council soon. The Planning Board members fear that the remaining vacant commercial properties would sell with the opening of Ghost Town.

 

The design criteria will include architectural, landscaping, and parking. New commercial development should be aesthetically pleasing.  As older businesses remodel or change uses they will be required to conform.

 

The Planning Board members would like Maggie Valley to have the quaintness of a mountain town that blends with the vistas rather than being intrusive.

 

The members then discussed theme towns such as Blowing Rock, Helen, Ga., and Banner Elk.  Having design criteria has made these towns known for their unique look. Council felt it was a good idea to provide business owners with options.

 

There should not be any additional trailer parks or campgrounds along Maggie Valley’s corridor.

 

The Land Use Plan and the Architectural design will go hand-in-hand to help enhance Commercial properties and protect peoples’ investments. 

 

Mayor McElroy asked that the Planning Board be careful not to over legislate due to the limited amount of land available with small parcels. It takes a lot of room for tractor-trailers to turn around and back into commercial businesses.

 

The Planning Board will work with people to come up with the best solutions, but Maggie Valley needs a more defined ordinance.

 

As for a slope ordinance, if the zoning ordinance requires driveways to be 18% or less this would help deter people from building on steep grades.

 

Mayor McElroy felt that requiring 18-foot roads on mountainsides creates more problems because of the amount of earth that is disturbed. One-way streets or 16-feet roads would be less invasive to the land and to the views. The disturbance of land increases the amount of silt going into the streams and branches substantially. Powell Bill Funds allow 16-feet roads. Mayor McElroy felt that in some areas, if done correctly, roads could be 12-feet in width. There should be controls on lot size verses house size to allow for open green space.

 

The Planning Board will review road standards.

 

Mayor McElroy stated that there should be previsions for surface water run off, retention ponds, and impervious surfaces.  

 

There was discussion about requiring concrete driveways rather than asphalt for grades over 15%.

 

The staff and Planning Board members encouraged Council to attend the Land Use Plan presentation by Benchmark Inc.

 

Maggie Valley is a tourist destination, but Jonathan Creek Valley and Dellwood Road could be less restrictive in nature.

 

Mayor McElroy felt the Town should enact more Extra Territorial Jurisdiction areas.  Council felt the Land Use Plan should include more zoning districts. The C2 district will need to be better defined.

 

Again, the discussion turned to surface water runoff. On Donald’s Circle, the gutter runoff of the homes runs to the street and then straight into Campbell Creek, which is where, Maggie Valley’s water intake, is located. Attorney Dickson could draft a document requiring developers to meet guidelines or prohibit any expansion. The priority is to limit building size by the lot size.

 

Alderman Edwards’s father, a Professional Engineer, will be glad to meet with the board members to explain slope effects. Mr. Edwards was involved when Haywood County drafted the current slope ordinance. 

 

The Planning Board and Board of Aldermen agreed that Maggie Valley should protect, not discourage growth.

 

Green space requirements will include storm drain systems.

 

Council acknowledged the workload the Planning Board is facing and gave their support.

 

Public Works Director Mike Mehaffey arrived at the meeting at 10:45 a.m. to discuss requiring the sewer plans on the preliminary plat.  Several developers have questioned the requirement for sewer plans to be included in the early stages of development. Most often, the developer does not know where the sewer will be, until the roads are in place. The State must approve the final sewer plan.  The Town prefers sewer be placed in the road right-of-way.  Often the developers have to pay for new sewer plans once the roads are in place. The Maggie Valley Club had to revise their sewer plans from the plans presented with the preliminary plat.

 

The Planning Board will investigate their options.

 

There being no further discussion, the meeting adjourned at 10:55 a.m.

 

 

 

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Mayor Roger McElroy

 

 

 

 

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Vickie Best, CMC, Town Clerk