TOWN OF
CONTINUED PLANNING BOARD MEETING
MINUTES
Members Present: Chairman
Members Absent: Andrew Golley and Richard Pierce
Staff Present: Manager
Tim Barth, Planning Director
Others Present: David Pope of Smoky Mountain Retreat and Selena Keller of Eaglenest Entertainment
Meeting Called To
Order
Chairman Tilley called the meeting to order at
Approval or
Correction of Minutes:
MR. BREDE MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED FOR
MR. ZERBOCK SECONDED THE MOTION.
MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
David Pope: Final
Plat Approval
David Pope presented the Board with the final plat for lots
G1 through G3 at Smoky Mountain Retreat located within
The road has been widened to 16-feet with 2-foot shoulders to serve the three parcels in question. The road will be paved. A Maggie Valley Sanitary District water tank will be located at the end of the road on public property.
Planning Director Clark recommended approval.
After reviewing the plat, the following motion was made.
MR. BREDE MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE LOTS G1 THROUGH G3 IN SMOKY MOUNTAIN
RETREAT WITH THE FOLLOWING CHANGES TO BE MADE PRIOR TO THE CHAIRMAN AND THE
PLANNING DIRECTOR SIGNING OFF ON THE FINAL PLAT. SHOW THE REQUIRED 25-FOOT FRONT YARD SETBACK
FROM THE RIGHT-OF-WAY. SHOW THE PARCEL MEASUREMENTS WITH AND WITHOUT THE
RIGHT-OF-WAY.
MS. O’KEEFE SECONDED THE MOTION.
MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Town Council approved the outdoor sales amendment to the Zoning
Ordinance on
Section 1. Ordinance
350 Regulating Outdoor Sales be amended by adding section 14 which will read as
follows:
(14) Any for profit entertainment and convention
facilities must acquire a special events permit from the Town Board of Aldermen
in order to have outdoor sales and be exempt from the provisions of this
ordinance. A for profit entertainment
and convention facility shall be defined as a facility in which the major
activities are the provision of entertainment and convention.
Mr. Clark received the following e-mail from Ms. Keller requesting an amendment to the Zoning Ordinance pertaining to section 1008.
Ms. Keller’s E-mail:
Section 1008. Recreational Vehicles.
Recreational vehicles may be stored or used on
business or residential lots provided that: (1) no more than two recreational
vehicles are stored or used on any one lot other than at a campground or a
for-profit business with their primary activity being entertainment or
conventions and the business’ total acreage exceeds 10 acres; (2)
recreational vehicles may be used on a temporary basis but not to exceed one
month unless in a RV park; (3) recreational vehicles shall not be used as a
single family residence.
The intent of Eaglenest Entertainment is NOT
to become an RV park. Our desire is to allow the participants that attend
our festivals and desire to “stay close to the action” to stay overnight on our
property with no amenities. (Electric is available on a limited basis and
will primarily be used by vendors. An adequate number of port-a-johns
will be available.) Typically, the festivals are all-day events (two or
three days) with attendees “coming and going” to different shows throughout the
event. They may listen to the “band” performing at noon, go back to their
RV for a while, return at 2 pm, go back to their RV at 2:45 pm for an afternoon
impromptu “breakout jam session”, return to the entertainment at 3:15, etc . .
. This “N the Rough” option is only offered as a convenience and hopefully will
provide incentive for our festivals to be better attended. We’ve
done a lot of research and this option seems to be extremely popular among
festival “goers.”
Of course there are always those who prefer
the amenities provided by campgrounds or hotels/motels. We’ve provided
“free” advertising for local campgrounds and hotels/motels by including their
information in our promotional packet. (Rough draft is attached for your
convenience.) We believe Maggie Valley offers all the ingredients necessary
for a festival to be successful – food, lodging, shopping, fishing, miniature
golf & other outdoor hobbies, etc, AND EAGLENEST ENTERTAINMENT.
Our goal is to have the “First Annual Maggie
Valley EAGLENEST” in the fall of 2007. As soon as a definitive decision
is reached regarding whether or not we can offer “N the Rough”, we plan to
finalize our promotional packet and meet with a major
Advertising well in advance of the event is
critical to its success. (Flyers for next year’s events are handed out at
this year’s events. Word is that a lot of people plan their annual
vacations around these festivals and need the advance notice in order to
schedule their time off.)
Our intent is to bring people to the Valley
by providing a first-class venue with first-class service; prove that “Southern
Hospitality is Alive and Well; and give our visitors a lot of reasons to come
back – again and again and again and . . .
Thanks in advance for your
consideration. I look forward to seeing you all at the next Planning
Board meeting.
Best regards,
Ms. Keller explained that Blue Grass Festival’s usually include overnight camping. There will be no alcohol allowed and the music will be acoustical only. Ms. Keller invited the Board to come look at the property. Only one festival is scheduled for 2007 but advertising needs to begin now. The promoter is expecting 2,500 plus in attendance. The number allowed to camp can be limited. The number needed will determine the number of portable toilets. The individual sites can be painted/chalked/ or roped off to meet the Zoning Ordinance 25’ requirement. The area is well lit and electric will be provided.
Chairman Tilley was concerned about opening the valley to
other businesses wanting to have overnight rustic camping. The rustic camping
without shower facilities was a great worry. Chairman Tilley saw the results when the City
of
Eaglenest Entertainment desires to have a Blue Grass Festival similar to Merel Fest, a family oriented event.
Ms. Keller explained that Eaglenest Entertainment would only have camping at certain events. The events are regimented from the signing of the contract to the end of the event. There are no surprises for the promoter or the property owner.
The Board discussed the possibility of allowing such events
on a case–by-case basis. A special
events permit could be issued upon approval. Criteria would need to be in place
before “opening the door” to these types of activities. It could be a positive attraction for
The guidelines/ criteria would need to be general, based on what the facility has in place. It would be impossible to create criteria for each event.
The Board wants Eaglenest Entertainment to be successful and had a consensus that the Blue Grass Festival would be good for the community. The issue is how does the Board allow this type of activity, be within reason, still be fair to other businesses, and meet the zoning ordinance regulations.
The Board than discussed a conditional use zoning district. Manager Barth read the following General Statue to the Board.
§ 160A-382. Districts.
For any or all these purposes, the city may divide itsterritorial jurisdiction into districts of any number, shape,
and area that may be deemed best suited to carry out the
purposes of this Part; and within those districts it may
regulate and restrict the erection, construction,
reconstruction, alteration, repair or use of buildings,
structures, or land. Such districts may include, but shall not
be limited to, general use districts, in which a variety of uses
are permissible in accordance with general standards; overlay
districts, in which additional requirements are imposed on
certain properties within one or more underlying general or
special use districts; and special use districts or conditional
use districts, in which uses are permitted only upon the
issuance of a special use permit or a conditional use permit.
Property may be placed in a special use district or conditional
use district only in response to a petition by the owners of all
the property to be included. Except as authorized by the
foregoing, all regulations shall be uniform for each class or
kind of building throughout each district, but the regulations
in one district may differ from those in other districts.
The Board directed Manager Barth and Mr. Clark to research conditional use zoning and develope criteria for a special events permit.
Due to not wanting to delay Ms. Keller any longer than necessary, the next regularly scheduled meeting will be held May 31, 2006 at 3:00 p.m. This would allow the issue to go before the Town Council in June.
ON MOTION BY MR. BREDE, SECONDED BY MR. ZERBOCK, THE MEETING ADJOURNED
AT 4:53 P.M.
________________________________
Chairman
_______________________________
Vickie Best, CMC, Town Clerk