The Cullowhee Community Planning Advisory Committee will meet July 31 to review proposed development standards for the area. The proposed standards are an attempt to better define and regulate the growth occurring around Western Carolina University. 

For the past year, the Cullowhee advisory committee — appointed by Jackson County commissioners — has worked to realize a vision for the currently unregulated college area. The process has included multiple public input sessions and resulted in a set of proposed development standards that lists separate zoning designations, such as commercial or varying density levels of residential, and defines what is and isn’t allowed within each area.

Following this week’s review of the draft proposals, committee members will schedule a time to trek around Cullowhee and determine which designation might be assigned to which areas. 

Jackson County Planning Director Gerald Green has previously said that the committee will likely wrap up its work by the end of summer. After that, county commissioners will decide if they want to adopt development standards or zoning regulations for Cullowhee — an area identified by the 2010 census as being the fastest-growing portion of Jackson County.

The next Cullowhee advisory committee meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. July 31 in room 209 of the Burrell Building on the Southwestern Community College campus.