History Planned Housing Project Valley Trails Heritage Park Disc Golf Course Gateway Project Small Towns Revitalization Program Broadband Project Freedom Memorial Pavilion Partners and Funders Home Town of Andrews Andrews Chamber of Commerce Valleytown Cultural Arts Center One Dozen Who Care, Inc.		Smart Growth NEIGHBORING COUNTIES WISH THEY HAD PLANNED FOR GROWTH - ANDREWS PLANNING AHEAD! AVI along with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension arranged for James (Jay) Tomlinson, Assistant Dean, Extension and Engagement College of Design, NC State University to make studies of how to develop the land, protect resources and yet revitalize the downtown using ‘Smart Growth’ principles. Under the guidance of Jay Tomlinson the Town of Andrews has developed a ‘Design Standards’ package to compliment and protect our natural resources and encourage beautification projects in the future. Included is a ‘Corridor Management’ package that provides guidance of how the town and county can ecologically develop and yet protect our valley resources. These recommendations were accepted by the Town of Andrews on a voluntary basis. The following excerpt responds to national development trends urging the dire need for growth planning in our region. SMART GROWTH Open Space Resources Andrews and the Valley River Valley have an abundance of open space – forest, fields, farmland, waterways and floodplain. Very little of this character-defining landscape can be considered permanent open space except Forest Service land. It exists today because development pressures have not been great enough, or lucrative enough, to cause owners to develop the land. The Town and for that matter, Cherokee County, cannot rely on the fact that future owners will view the land as a resource to be protected rather than a commodity to be developed. Town land use regulations can strive to minimize the impact of future development, protect critical resources and create an open space network by creating its own land preservation program and aggressively annexing. Protecting and retaining the rural character of Andrews and the Valley River Valley means preserving the natural landscape that creates the rural atmosphere. Since so much of the landscape is in private ownership, the threat of development hangs heavy. The Town needs to regulate development activity through zoning, and design standards, including open space set-asides. In order for a regulatory process to be put in place properly, the community needs to identify and prioritize the areas that are critical, character-defining resources. The Town Council needs to begin by forming a Andrews Valley Conservation Commission (AVCC) to create an open space strategic plan based on the philosophy that as Andrews continues to grow, open spaces should be provided and preserved and woven into the fabric of the Town. The purpose is to obtain a balance and harmony between physical development and open space. The Commission will define open space: land for passive and active recreation, wildlife enhancement, protection of ground and surface water quality, protection of scenic views and vistas and farming, as examples. It will begin the process of identifying parcels containing critical natural resources and historic landscape elements and the mapping of key properties onto an Open Space Plan Map. It will develop an evaluation and ranking system under which properties will be prioritized as the basis for a directed annexation and acquisition strategy, including identification of preservation methods for each proposed area. Many mechanisms can be put in place by the Town of Andrews for preserving open land. Outright fee simple purchase, conservation easements in favor of the Town, purchase of development rights, and the instigation of use assessment, all have their place in an aggressive open space acquisition and preservation program. While conservation easements have a limited lifetime and use assessments are not in themselves permanent solutions, the cost to the Town of land taxed under open space, farm, or forest designations is small, no expensive service being required, and the value of the view shed preserved by landowners not being pressured by market value assessments is priceless. The following are action items for immediate consideration by the AVCC: Contact owners of land cont• aining character-defining features and key roles in contributing to the Town’s rural character to discuss land preservation options and develop preservation plans. Educate landowners on resourcebased development planning; enlist their commitment to this development philosophy and preservation of critical areas. Establish a dedicated open space fund for the purchase of open space lands or high priority area. Prepare and distribute educational materials on selective view clearing as opposed to clear-cutting. Create regulations for subdivisions of four or more lots that include trails and greenways in subdivision layout and multiple uses of utility easements to provide connections to trails and greenways. Identify open space areas, particularly riparian and floodplain, where development is inappropriate because of potential degradation of natural and /or cultural resources. Establish that town-owned open space now or in the future appropriate for agricultural use should be leased out and utilized consistent with historical uses on the site. North Carolina Cooperative Extension is an educational partnership helping people put research-based knowledge to work for economic prosperity, environmental stewardship and an improved quality of life. For more information visit: www.ces.ncsu. edu Smart Growth Design Principles: By promoting the principles of green building design that combine energy and water efficiency, healthy indoor air quality and the use of natural building materials with mixed use neighborhoods, revitalized downtowns, walkable communities, and high density, low impact development, smart growth creates communities that provide environmental, economic, social and health benefits for all. For more information visit: www.smartgrowth.org You can view the entire slide show presentation of the NC State Proposal for the Town of Andrews on the town's web-site.