By Jared Putnam
Staff writer
Clay County now has a group in place to oversee a variety of land use ordinances moving forward.
The Clay County Board of Commissioners approved amendments to the planning board ordinance of 1993 and installed both a new five-member board and an enforcement officer during the June meeting on Thursday, June 3 in Hayesville.
The moves follow the passing of the Residential Park Development Ordinance — also referred to as a "Mobile Home & RV Ordinance" — during a public hearing in May. While that ordinance was the catalyst for the planning board, Clay County Attorney Merinda Woody said the new board will oversee other, similar types of county ordinances.
"This planning board is not only going to be helping us with looking at this RV ordinance that we just passed, but also the subdivision ordinance that we already have on record," Woody said. "So, it's kind of going to be the gatekeeper for all these other land use types of ordinances that we've already had."
During the May meeting, Woody described the Residential Park Development Ordinance as a "planning tool" for rental sites such as mobile home parks, RV parks and campgrounds. The ordinance will apply to new businesses renting three or more units — whether that consists of RVs, tents, etc. — in accordance with the Watershed Ordinance of North Carolina.
The new, five-member planning board is a reduction from the nine-member group called for by the 1993 ordinance. Three members will be appointed for three-year terms and two for two-year terms.
Woody said she also overhauled one other specific provision within the previous planning board ordinance.
"There was something curious in the old one," Woody said. "It allowed the board members to take donations and gifts. Well, guess what, that got deleted."
Clay County building inspector Anthony Stillwell was unanimously approved as the planning board's enforcement officer. County Manager Debbie Mauney noted that the county may eventually make the enforcement officer its own position if it becomes clear that there is too much work involved for Stillwell to handle both roles.
Planning board members were also appointed during the commissioners' meeting by a 3-1 vote. Commissioner Clay Logan was the lone dissenting vote. Chairman Rob Peck was not in attendance.
Logan said he was seeing the appointees for the first time and expressed the desire to change some recommendations. He asked to delay the appointments until the July meeting. Doing so would have forced the county to delay the implementation of the Residential Park Development Ordinance, which is set to take effect on Monday, June 15. A moratorium on new permits is in place until the ordinance takes effect.
"I think the main reason we need to go ahead and do this tonight is to not hold up that ordinance that we just passed," Commissioner Dwight Penland said. "There's a lot of work that went into that, a lot of time to go along with it and now I don't think we need to back up and hold that up any longer. That's what would happen if we don't pass it."
The planning board will consist of realtor Michael Anderson; Clara Reffit, President of Nantahala Bank & Trust; farmer Jason McClure; Chris Cotton, owner of Cotton Builders, Inc.; and Clay County Water and Sewer Director Dusty Beal. The planning board will elect its own chairman, vice chairman and secretary.
Mauney said the appointee recommendations came from a committee that included Peck, Stillwell and Jeff Sellers, the supervisor of environmental health.
Anyone seeking to establish a campground, RV site or similar type of business must now present their plan to the planning board. The planning board will evaluate documents such as a survey of the property, along with the proposed water and septic sources. The business owner must also include a minimum 10-foot buffer around the outer perimeter of their campground or similar type of business.
Existing campgrounds will not be forced to make adjustments to their current facilities based on the new ordinance, but they will have to submit documents detailing their current setup. Any significant modification they make in the future will be subject to the new ordinance. Current business owners will have six months from June 15 to comply with the new paperwork regulations.
Other notes from the June Board of Commissioners meeting:
• The board voted to move its July meeting to July 22 to avoid the Independence Day holiday weekend.
• The board reappointed Bryan Hedden to the Tri-County Community College Board.