OCTOBER 8, 2009 ISSUE
Banner Elk Working On New Land Use Plan
Last Plan Adopted in 1967: Does the Future Include ETJ Annexations?
Banner Elk—a town ranked fourth in North Carolina for its percentage of commuters walking to work—recently completed an attractive boardwalk along Mill Pond, connecting the town’s 1.5-mile greenway trail to downtown.Normally, new municipal land use plans that include potential annexation can be a contentious issue. But in Banner Elk—a town that hasn’t upgraded its Land Use Plan since 1967—momentum may be on the side of necessary changes. At least that’s the position of Banner Elk’s long-time Mayor Deka Tate and Town Manager John Mejaski.
In an ongoing process that began last fall, the town has been holding meetings and asking for input from its residents. Business owners along Highway 184 South in particular—an area that may be annexed under a new plan—started meeting with Banner Elk officials last fall to discuss needed changes. According to Tate and Mejaski, the general consensus of the business owners favors a new plan. Other corridors in the town’s Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) such as the route out to Wildcat Lake are also under consideration. Mejaski envisions a possible scenario of adding about 10 percent more land to the present city limits of the Town of Banner Elk.
“Over the years, many ETJ properties have already been voluntarily annexed resulting in a ‘hodpodge’ map,” Mejaski said. The new big-box Lowe’s Home Improvement on Highway 184 South in the ETJ is in the town limits, for instance. According to a recent town press release, at the June Banner Elk Town Council meeting, this was pointed out. The release stated that, “A part of the Land Use Plan will need to be an adjustment to the Extraterritorial Jurisdictional boundaries.”
Banner Elk Town Council Member Robert Tufts supports a new plan and when asked if he felt there would be majority support to future annexation he said, “Annexation has not been discussed; we are in the very early stages of developing a plan.”
More than 70 percent of Banner Elk residents who responded to an online survey are concerned that the aesthetics of Banner Elk are threatened by development. Areas of concern listed on a presentation chart at Town Hall include better management of storm water runoff, improper solid waste management and outdoor storage of equipment.
“We have to be in control of the process in order to preserve our natural resources,” Tate said.
Praising his predecessor, Hugh Montgomery, for having already taken progressive steps in best practices by applying new impact fees and access charges, Mejaski said that Banner Elk was in an enviable position. “We have natural resources that attract people, businesses and development that put us in the driver’s seat when compared to communities that have to spend money or offer incentives.”
He went on to say that a 50-plus-acre development proposal in the ETJ was a catalyst for getting to work on a new plan, inferring that the 1967 Land Use Plan is woefully inadequate for today’s development challenges.
Looking down the road, Mejaski said that Banners Elk presently uses about 30 percent of its sewer capacity with another 20 percent already dedicated to new projects, leaving the town with 50 percent of room to grow. Although the town’s five well pumps operate about six hours—with 10 hours being the normal critical pumping capacity—he said the town can meet its near-term water growth needs, but eventually additional wells would be required. Banner Elk has the cheapest water in the region, Mejaski said.
Banner Elk recently completed an attractive boardwalk along Mill Pond, connecting the town’s 1.5-mile greenway trail to downtown. In fact, pedestrian friendly Banner Elk ranks fourth highest in its percentage of commuters walking to work in North Carolina. This may be due in part to the Master Streetscape Plan of 1999, which transformed the downtown area by adding brick sidewalks, benches and ornate landscaping.
Avery County is building a new elementary school on Apple Orchard Lane in the ETJ; working with the County, the town is providing sewer and water for the project. This leaves the future of a significant property, the old elementary school and its five acres in the heart of downtown, up in the air.
Ed Hardin, who is running against Mayor Tate, said in a brief conversation that he was concerned about what happens to the old school. He also said that he supports long-term planning. When asked about the ongoing dialogue about a new Land Use Plan and its potential for annexation, he said that it depends upon how far the plan would extend the town limits and that it was premature for him to commit to what he would or would not support. “This process is new. There are pros and cons to annexation and it’s advisable to take all points and the resident’s wishes into consideration before finalizing a plan,” he said. “I would like us to keep a small town atmosphere as much as possible.”
If you are a resident of Banner Elk, the town press release invites you to get involved with the planning process stating that, “Here is your chance to have a say in how you would like to see Banner Elk in 2050.”
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