JANUARY 28, 2010 ISSUE
Citizens’ Plan for Watauga Recommendation Summary
Part II in Series Provides Synopsis of Input from Plan Oversight Group, Citizens, Consultants on County’s New Comprehensive Plan
Watauga County’s Plan Oversight Group presented the county’s new comprehensive plan, dubbed the “Citizens’ Plan for Watauga,” to the Watauga Commissioners this week. To view the entire document, click to www.wataugacounty.org.For the past three years, the Plan Oversight Group (POG)—which was appointed by the Watauga Commissioners and tasked with creating Watauga County’s new Comprehensive Plan, dubbed the “Citizens’ Plan for Watauga,”—has held a large number of community meetings, gathering useful input that was massaged into a plan that will, in theory and purpose, manage change in Watauga County for the next decade and beyond.
“We went to great lengths to make sure every citizen of this county had a voice and provided input for this plan,” said Planning Board Member Charlie Wallin.
The Watauga Commissioners hosted a joint meeting with the Watauga Planning Board on January 19 to receive the final draft of the Citizens’ Plan for Watauga from the POG. To view the final document and summary, click to www.wataugacounty.org.
The commissioners accepted the plan and will now review the document, add a discussion on the document to their February retreat agenda, plan an intergovernmental retreat, which could include ASU, and then formulate action steps gathered from the retreats for future implementation of the plan’s goals.
This week in part II of the series, High Country Press provides a summary of the plan’s recommendations.
Citizens’ Plan for Watauga
“The Citizens’ Plan for Watauga…is to provide a balance between managing change, preserving community traditions, protecting the natural environment and enhancing quality of life.”
-Plan Oversight Group (Buck Robbins, Fred Badders, Shelton Wilder, Charlie Wallin, Winston Kinsey, Steve Loflin, Bill Sherwood)
The Citizens’ Plan for Watauga is divided into nine sections of recommendations—transportation, economic development, economic gateways, key economic sectors, water and sewer, key community services, affordable/workforce housing, preservation of unique community identities and heritage and parks and recreation—and also includes thoughts on preparing and managing change in Watauga County and thoughts on how to implement the plan.
Transportation—Section 1
Collaborate, Update, Plan, Go Greener
For local highways, the POG recommended updating the 2002 Thoroughfare Plan for Watauga County, paving public gravel roads to North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) standards and hosting community meetings—which include NCDOT, ASU, the Town of Boone, Watauga County, citizen groups and High Country Council of Governments—to discuss routes for a Boone Bypass, which the POG considers to be a top transportation priority. The POG also stated that priority should be given to other highway projects, including adding additional lanes to Highway 194 from Highway 421 to Howard’s Creek Road and adding additional lanes to Highway 421 from Boone to Vilas.
For multimodal transportation, the POG recommended that a strong emphasis should be placed on creating roadways that are safe for all forms of transportation, including bicycles and pedestrians; that AppalCART’s routes should be expanded to all corners of the county and park-and-ride locations should be established; and that Boone and ASU should work together to promote greener forms of transportation, provide more bicycle parking and limit the number of ASU students who can bring vehicles to campus.
Economic Development—Section 2
Better Rather than Bigger
According to the plan, all efforts to promote economic development in Watauga County should focus on better rather than bigger and enhancing quality of life.
The recommendations included making the county the core agency for economic planning, policy interpretation and coordination; investing in the creation of a dynamic and comprehensive economic development strategy; encouraging and facilitating the provision of essential infrastructure that will attract new business; better utilizing established economic development organizations in Western North Carolina through annual or semi-annual workshops; promoting regional economic development strategies beyond the county that could lead to local jobs; increasing promotion of the Watauga Green Business Plan; and promoting the development of renewable energy concepts.
Economic Gateways—Section 3
Guide Development, Protect Integrity
According to the POG, Watauga transportation corridors are also economic gateways into the county and are critical to the county’s economic future. To that end, the county should guide development and protect the integrity and potential of these strategic economic corridors.
The POG defined ‘gateways’ as entrances to the county, citing the primary arterial highways of 105, 321 and 421 and labeling the gateways as the Zionville Gateway (421/321), the Grandfather Gateway (105), the Blowing Rock Gateway (321) and the Deep Gap Gateway (421). According to the POG, providing attractive as well as functional gateways into the county facilitates both the positive image and economy of the community. The POG recommended that incentives for property owners and the community should be developed to maintain attractive and compatible development that will enhance the total economic value of the gateways and that the county should formulate an individual gateway corridor strategy for each of the four gateways, beginning with the Deep Gap Gateway.
Key Economic Sectors—Section 4
Work Together, Expand Reach
The POG recommended strengthening the county’s key economic sectors.
In terms of education and research, the POG recommended working with ASU to capitalize on university research, promoting the development of a research park, supporting the University of North Carolina Tomorrow goals and strengthening the alliance with ASU and Caldwell Community College in order to understand and attain education and skill levels needed by Watauga residents.
In terms of medical research, the POG recommended that Watauga County should work with medical professionals and the Appalachian Regional Healthcare System to facilitate a medical cluster concept, encourage ASU and Caldwell Community College to explore new healthcare ventures and focus on and promote activities and businesses that are involved with technology, research, education and medicine.
In terms of tourism and research, the POG recommended that the county capitalize on existing tourism by working with tourism development authorities, develop and promote the greenway concept and promote eco-tourism.
In terms of industry and business, the POG recommended developing a commerce/business park site as a joint venture with ASU, Caldwell Community College and the medical cluster, planning for a flex building at the site for potential new businesses and expanding support for local business.
In terms of agriculture, the POG recommended the promotion of local agricultural products, especially organic products, and conducting market research for those products; nurturing local farmers’ markets and the local branch of the N.C. Cooperative Extension; promoting a growers’ cooperative; promoting opportunities in niche markets of food production; and creating an interest group to promote agritourism and to sponsor demonstration projects.
Water and Sewer—Section 5
County Should Plan and Facilitate Water and Sewer Services
According to the POG, the most appropriate alternative role for the county is the role of planner and facilitator of water and sewer services.
The POG recommended that the county should promote sound water and sewer intergovernmental cooperation, facilitating needed and feasible development of infrastructure and services in areas not currently served, and assume a leadership role by participating in planning, policy making and strategic capital investments. Also, the county should improve and protect existing infrastructure, work with other municipalities to guide water and sewer to areas targeted for economic development and affordable housing, provide for the proper disposal of chemicals and substances likely to end up in water supply, encourage the use of indigenous vegetation for landscaping, continue to study local groundwater resources and develop a 10-year Capital Improvement Plan for water and sewer projects in the interest of economic development and public health.
Key Community Services—Section 6
Update, Nurture, Improve
The POG recommended managed change for key community services, such as schools, community centers, law enforcement and emergency services.
In terms of schools, the POG recommended providing air conditioning in all schools; updating the schools’ media retrieval system; constructing a new, four-classroom building for Valle Crucis School and demolishing the old, flood-prone building; adding office space to the Central Office; resurfacing parking areas and providing new roofs at all schools and addressing the prevailing dropout rate and implementing a plan addressing retention.
In terms of community centers, the POG recommended establishing a community center in eastern Watauga County and encouraging the use of county school facilities as community centers.
In terms of law enforcement, the POG recommended periodic evaluations to make sure services are adequate, the creation of new policies regarding transport of detainees and mental health patients, the creation of a new Capital Improvement Plan and the expansion of the county’s detention center.
In terms of emergency services, the POG recommended periodic evaluations to make sure ratios of population to emergency services personnel are adequate, more cooperation between agencies and the creation of a Emergency Services Master Plan.
Affordable/Workforce Housing—Section 7
Break Down Barriers, Provide More Options, Be Proactive
The POG hopes the county can lead the way in creating more affordable/workforce housing through various steps, such as ensuring that subdivision regulations and other land use ordinances do not serve as barriers to affordable housing; promoting mixed land use; encouraging duplex, triplex and quadplex development; ensuring that regulations provide sufficient opportunities for nursing homes; considering land use policies that accommodate manufactured housing and mixed-use housing; developing a countywide affordable housing plan; investigating state and federal funding programs for housing rehabilitation; establishing an affordable housing trust fund and preserving existing housing stock and addressing substandard housing wherever possible.
Preservation of Unique Community Identities and Heritage—Section 8
Create a Strategy for Preservation and Celebration
The POG recommended that the county create a strategy for preservation of unique communities that identifies and promotes preservation of significant historic, scenic and cultural features. To that end, the POG recommended restoration and use of historic sites, developing uniform community signage along roadways, reviewing the current Community Planning Guidelines, developing Small Area Planning guidelines and Small Area Plans, enhancing community gathering points, designing and locating public spaces and buildings, promoting art and cultural opportunities and implementing programs for removing unattractive elements, such as illegal signs, graffiti, litter, utility poles and billboards.
Also, the POG provided recommendations for the preservation of local farmland. The POG recommended promoting the Voluntary Farmland Preservation Program, supporting the Soil and Water Conservation office, promoting conservation easements and promoting the use of the Present-Use-Value taxation program.
Parks and Recreation—Section 9
Develop Countywide Recreation Master Plan
The POG recommended that the county develop a countywide recreation master plan that should be regional in scope and developed with the cooperation and coordination of all municipalities, the Board of Education, ASU, Parks and Recreation and the public.
According to the POG, the plan should address present and future needs, with an emphasis on organized sports, passive recreation, greenways, blueways and walking and bicycling. Also, a Recreation Capital Improvement Plan should be incorporated into the master plan and subdivision planning and development plans of various types for medium and high-density developments should include provisions for open space.
Implementing the Plan
According to the POG, “The Citizens’ Plan for Watauga should be the beginning point in a process that carries the community forward into a continuum of deliberate strategies and actions designed to understand, anticipate and manage changes that will occur in the future and to ensure that such change is consistent with the will of the Watauga citizenry and compatible with the fragile natural environment that is the essence of Watauga County.”
The POG provided the following recommendations:
• Establish a Citizens’ Plan for Watauga newsletter that would be published quarterly on the county’s website and further distributed in the community.
• Create a Citizens’ Plan for Watauga forum composed of a cross-section of community leaders and citizens, and create an environment in which participation in the forum is both prestigious and meaningful.
• Take planning and information about managing change in Watauga County into the schools. According to the POG, “The future of Watauga County rests with our children.”
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