Town encourages

residents to learn

smart-growth strategies
By Frank Ruggiero
frank@mountaintimes.com

The town of Boone’s Web site is looking a bit smarter these days.

The Boone Town Council will attest to this claim, considering the results of a town-commissioned smart growth audit are now available for public review online.

“I’m happy to report our smart growth audit is completed on schedule,” Boone Development Services director John Spear told the council at its regular meeting in December.

In June 2007, the council adopted a $33,300 contract with the Lawrence Group, a firm based in St. Louis, Mo., to provide planning services and prepare and publish a smart growth audit to identify weaknesses in current town plans, policies, programs, ordinances and regulations that could impede smart growth goals.

According to the American Planning Association (APA), smart growth entails development practices that can help design communities with a unique sense of place, while preserving and enhancing valuable, natural resources and expanding the range of transportation, employment and housing choices in a fiscally-responsible manner.

The APA has adopted 13 principles for smart growth, including mixed land use, compact building design, land preservation, pedestrian-friendly communities, community character, a variety of transportation choices, cost-effective development, and community and stakeholder collaboration.

Stakeholders include local government, the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, Appalachian State University, the development community, business owners, environmental groups and others.

“In relation to the principles of smart growth, we did involve a broad and a very high amount of community participation,” Spear said. “We had a number of stakeholders that were involved in the process.”

Spear said the firm diligently reviewed the town’s plans and policies, as well as water and sewer ordinances, walk audits, the N.C. Department of Transportation’s thoroughfare plans and numerous other policies and documents “that have a bearing on growth and community development.”

With the audit complete, Spear said there are a number of recommendations the council could consider in terms of implementing smart growth practices in Boone.

Spear said the smart growth advisory committee met to discuss the final audit document, recommending to schedule a public presentation involving community members and stakeholders to offer feedback, “and this would give the opportunity for the public to ask any questions and obtain any further information … on the smart growth audit itself.”

The council agreed to schedule such a presentation for Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 6:30 p.m. in town council chambers, located at 1500 Blowing Rock Road.

According to the audit’s executive summary, “…the major disconnect for Boone appears to be that the local implementing programs and ordinances are leading to a future markedly different than the vision of the long range plans and policies. This is a future that will be challenging, at best, for smart growth given current land use and transportation patterns.”

The summary continues, saying current policy provides for an automobile, suburban style of future development, “although the town is making an ongoing and concerted effort to change this trend.”

The audit recommends the town devise a strategic land use master plan based on Boone’s vision of smart growth, including the rewriting of the Unified Development Ordinance.

Mayor pro tem Lynne Mason reminded council members that she’d served on the smart growth advisory committee, along with newly elected council member Stephen Phillips and former town council member Bunk Spann.

“I really encourage people to come out and learn what smart growth is and what it is not,” she said. “It has some really exciting potential for our community, and we really want to get out in front of this issue to help … people have an understanding. This will involve a lot of community input.”

The smart growth audit is available for public review online at www.townofboone.net, by clicking “Public Notices,” and then “2007 Smart Growth Audit.”

For more information, call Boone Town Hall at (828) 262-4530.