The February meeting of Hayesville’s Town Council began by resuming business which had been tabled in their previous meeting. In January, the council had asked for information about building ordinances neighboring towns have in place. After hearing more information, the proposal to change the minimum lot size requirements for group projects from two acres to one and half acres, was not passed.
Zoning Administrator George Schaaf said Murphy and Andrews both have two acres in their ordinances. Schaff said the two-acre size is also typical of guidelines found at the North Carolina Department of Commerce. The text would have changed in Section 420 Definitions Group Project and Section 1240 Group Projects to allow five to seven homes on one and half acres, depending on whether the site has public water and sewer. Schaaf explained, “A group project is more than one principal building on a single parcel of land.”
Councilman Will Penland made the motion not to make the change. “My thought is the two acre minimum protects the value of the property and the process for dividing lots for multiple principal dwellings,” Penland said, as he made the motion.
Another item of new business was presented by Paul Price, who presented a new sign proposal for the Beal Center, as part of an amended landscape plan for the Historic Courthouse square. Representing Clay County Communities Revitalization Association, Price showed the plan for a sign which will have better visibility.
Price said the new sign will be about 6 feet tall and made by a local artisan. It will be sunk in concrete and painted black to resemble the lamp posts on the square but will contain a banner which will reflect when the Beal Center is open. In addition, Lawns Unlimited will be taking over lawn care around the building for the next year. They will begin to fill in uneven spaces of grass, keep the lawn mowed regularly in the summer and clean excess debris. Seeding will also take place at appropriate times.
The council approved the sign and landscape amendments. Price continued by saying CCCRA currently has ten concerts scheduled on the Hayesville Square. The Beal Center has also begun to schedule more events again.
Other new business included:
• The town council's reappointment of Richard Cary to the Hayesville Planning and Zoning Board for three more years until 2024.
• Mayor Harry Baughn also asked for ideas to replace Patricia Schaaf who is stepping down as an alternate on the Hayesville Planning and Zoning Board. The council did not have suggestions, so they agreed to discuss it in February.
• Town Clerk Susan Morgan shared the January 2021 balance sheet, along with the profit and loss sheet. Primary costs in question included materials to change the streetlight decorations and three years of paying for an online domain and website development.
• During his zoning report, Schaaf said the state has ordered a complete rewrite of all zoning regulations. “For years, they have had one general statute covering counties and one covering municipalities. They have combined the two into one so you would not have conflicts,” he said. “There is a lot of work to do and a lot of detail. We have until Thursday, July 1 to get our ordinances amended. We will have a lot of amendments for the council to adopt the new state general statutes.” If it not done by July 1, the town will be in default and it will revert to the general statute.
• For his mayor’s report, Baughn said he is still working on research for a grant to purchase a charging station for electric vehicles. “Someone heard about it and got excited about it,” he said. “The person gave an anonymous $5,000 donation for the charging station so we will get it one way or the other.”
• The town’s website has been completed, other than some working email addresses. The website may be found at: www.townofhayesville.com.
• The Annual Yard Sale Around the Square has been scheduled for Saturday, May 15, Baughn said. “People have been calling us about it for months,” he added.
• Sandy Zimmerman provided public comment, encouraging everyone to visit the Historic Hayesville, Inc. website where a lot of information about many organizations has been added. She said there are even kids’ activities on the site. That site is: www.historichayesvilleinc.com. She and HHI are working on a grant to complete the renovations to the old Town Hall. It was moved behind the Old Jail Museum and will eventually be a classroom space.
• Zimmerman said the Hayesville Centennial Exhibit would open in spring with new displays. The Barn Quilt Studio will open and already has a lot of orders.
• She encouraged participation of upcoming webinars, which include some economic development and retail information. The Small Town Conference will be held virtually, Tuesday and Wednesday, March 9 and 10. Hayesville Town Council meets at Hayesville Town Hall at 5:30 p.m. the second Monday of each month. To enforce social distancing, masks are required.