Rural PROTECTION

Roughly every 20 years, Henderson County starts a comprehensive planning process, which welcomes public input on future growth and development.  The latest process has already begun.  This is a fantastic opportunity for citizens and public officials to seek stronger protection for rural areas, so we don't have to fight inappropriate development again and again.

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ANTIQUATED RULES

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First, some background.  Development in Henderson County is governed by antiquated rules that allow the low price of rural land to drive new development out into the countryside.  This has a negative impact on our natural resources, our rural heritage, and our local economy.  

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Between 1976 and 2006, Henderson County’s developed land area grew eight times faster than our population, according to a UNC Charlotte study.  In other words, as our population slowly grew 92% over several decades, our developed land area exploded by 730%.

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This is urban sprawl, and the rules that facilitate it are still in effect today.  If we don’t change these rules, the casualties of sprawl will include rural communities like Crab Creek, clean air, clean water, scenic vistas, and the amazing biodiversity of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

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RUINED PLACES

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This story is familiar to people who have fled here from ruined places around the country.  Subdivisions displace orchards and forests.  Rural roads like Crab Creek get widened.  Asphalt, roofs, and lawns dump polluted storm water directly into creeks, without letting it filter through the soil.  Residents drive more miles, increasing air pollution and exacerbating climate change. 

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At least half the people who united last summer to protect Crab Creek from a giant storage facility moved to Henderson County from places that are now overcome by urban sprawl.  "We can't let Crab Creek become...."  Fill in the blank.  Whether we're from Ohio, Florida, or wherever, none of us want Western North Carolina to look like that.

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THE GOOD NEWS

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Here's the good news:  Henderson County can say no to sprawl.  Smart communities guide development into tighter, more sustainable patterns that don’t destroy natural and cultural resources.  They do this in three ways:

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• ​LIMIT RURAL GROWTH:  Smart communities limit commercial development and lower housing density in rural areas.  If denser housing isn't allowed on larger pieces of land, wall-to-wall subdivisions won't replace agriculture, and rural roads like Crab Creek are less likely to be widened.  Smart communities also use an "urban services boundary" to keep water and sewer lines close to town. This discourages subdivisions and large commercial enterprises from spreading into the countryside.  Finally, smart communities encourage clean, green, walkable neighborhoods in and around urban areas.  With great design and abundant landscaping, walkable neighborhoods become very desirable places to live.

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• BUY CONSERVATION EASEMENTS:  Smart communities also use local funds to buy conservation easements.   Basically, this means paying people who own key pieces of rural land not to develop their land.  Conservation easements can be used to protect anything, including farmland, historic sites, favorite community landmarks, sensitive ecosystems, or scenic views.  Using local funds to protect land helps communities attract federal and state dollars.  Charleston, South Carolina, for example, attracts five to six dollars in state and federal funds for every dollar the county spends to protect its special places.

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• ANALYZE COSTS & BENEFITS:  A third strategy is a more careful analysis of the costs and benefits of different kinds of development.  Financially, sprawl is a loser.  When developed land grows faster than the population, each taxpayer becomes responsible for fixing more potholes, maintaining more sewers, repairing more electrical wires, etc.  Sprawl may offer quick financial returns, but ultimately it's a burden for taxpayers.   Instead, we need to encourage attractive development in and near town — while saying no to the rural growth that threatens the economy and our natural and cultural heritage. 

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BRINGING IT HOME

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Could we actually bring these winning strategies home to Henderson County?  Yes!  Population growth here is a given.  But destruction of natural and cultural resources is a choice.  Henderson County can continue to welcome sprawl, or we can accommodate new residents sustainably. 

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Please learn more by reading/watching the media linked above and below.  Also, sign up at the bottom of the page for updates or join our Facebook group.  

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LEARN MORE

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ASK THE EXPERTS