Forum ignites interest in county plan
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

A local conservation partnership hopes to spark discussion between Watauga County and its towns as the next county comprehensive plan begins to take shape.

The Partnership for Watauga’s Future, a non-profit organization not formally affiliated with county government, formed in 2001 to address and discuss land-use issues, sparked mostly by debate over a high-impact land-use ordinance drafted by the county.

The partnership sponsored a program Saturday in Boone to bring together several different planning issues with the goal of building interest in the comprehensive plan.

The program featured presentations on steep slopes, flooding, “walkability” and promoting more sustainable techniques in local businesses.

Kathy Copley, president of the Partnership for Watauga’s Future, said the group was interested in the county’s comprehensive plan and hoped to stimulate more citizen participation. “We had people at the meeting to describe how the plan was shaping up, to become acquainted with the process and what we hope to do,” Copley said. “Our meetings are designed to encourage participation.”

Rick Wooten of the N.C. Geologic Survey presented information on the current Watauga County landslide mapping project, part of a statewide effort launched in response to flooding and landslides caused by recent major hurricanes. Wooten presented data that charted historic trends and landslides and, though the mapping project is not yet complete, he suggested that when it comes to flooding and landslides, history tends to repeat itself.

Most of Watauga County’s 2,245 recorded landslides occurred during one major event: the 1940 flood that killed at least 14 people.

Based on aerial photographs, 84 percent of the slopes that gave way were covered by pasture or crops instead of trees. More than 130 homes have since been built in the paths of 1940 landslides and Wooten said those places would likely end up being “high hazard areas” on the state geologic map.

Additionally, 15 of the landslides that occurred during hurricanes Ivan and Frances in 2004 were at locations that also gave way in 1940. Regionally, major landslides occur about every nine years, with damaging landslides an annual occurrence.

Since 2004, the number of landslides and erosion deposits in the statewide slope movement database increased from 400 to 4,500.

John Callahan, a professor of geology at Appalachian State University, presented information on the county’s new flood insurance maps that were released this summer for the Watauga River basin.

The new maps employ digital imaging and satellite photography to give more accurate information, though there is no clear trend in how the flood plains changed. The new maps, which are available on the county Web site at www.wataugacounty.org, measure what is generally considered the 100-year flood plain, though technically that’s described as a 1 percent chance of such flooding in any given year.

The flood insurance maps are being updated as part of another statewide mapping effort, with work on the New River basin currently underway. The basin, which covers the western half of the county, hasn’t been mapped since 1997.

County commissioner Winston Kinsey outlined the process for crafting the comprehensive plan. The county is using engineering consultants Martin-McGill to distribute surveys and host a series of community meetings to gather citizen input.

The series begins at Blowing Rock Elementary School on Nov. 13 and continues over the next few months at schools and fire departments around the county. The surveys seek public input on a variety of land-use and quality-of-life issues and allow people to make a “vision statement.”

Copley said the partnership’s role is most timely right now because of the drafting of the comprehensive plan.

“It presents an opportunity throughout the county for people to say how they’d like to see the community in five or 10 years,” she said. “We want to promote more community involvement by the people who will help create our future.”

Some state initiatives are looking at possible regulations for the riskiest slopes, which might include a disclosure requirement so that all potential land buyers would have the landslide data. “It’s important to use the steep-slope mapping information rather than just having it,” Copley said. “The people who own (designated) property should know if they are at risk of a landslide.”

Boone public works director Blake Brown presented information on the town’s sidewalks and greenways, and David Ponder presented information on a “green business plan” under exploration by the Watauga County Economic Development Commission. The initiative includes “green audits” to measure sustainable techniques, renewable energy use, and recycling in various local businesses, with the potential of marketing the region as “green” and promoting it as being environmentally friendly.

The economic development commission believes the effort can dovetail with the marketing of the county’s scenic tourism and outdoor recreation.

Copley said the partnership’s approach is broad because people might find one or two issues that particularly interest them and then they are more likely to become involved.

Such citizen involvement has been a cornerstone of the push by county leaders to draft a new comprehensive plan to replace the current 1992 plan, which offers little long-term guidance on growth.

Land use, steep slopes, recreation, education, water and other issues will be explored in drafting the plan, though Copley said there was no direct connection between the partnership’s interest in these issues and similar ones that were hotly debated in recent Boone town elections.

Instead, she said the issues should be a prominent part of community discussion in the months ahead as the comprehensive plan takes shape.

Copley suggested the new plan could offer not just some specific outlines for the future but also an opportunity for broader reflection on the impact of change. “The land is more than just what is on it,” Copley said. “There’s local culture, community spirit and quality of life.”

The Partnership for Watauga’s Future meetings are open to the public and are held on the fourth Thursday of each month at the Watauga County Public Library.

The group’s Web site is PartnershipforWataugasFuture.org.