To the Editor:

In a recent Smoky Mountain News article, the writer confirmed the Waynesville Town Board overwhelmingly reached a decision last week on the apartment complex proposed for Plott Creek Road. The board chose to side with the developer despite overwhelming opposition to the project, citing a major shortage of rental housing throughout the county as a prime factor in their decision.  

My experience with these town meetings has been the same — they appear to listen but typically side with growth regardless of opposition from the existing county residents. I understand the position they are in and realize that they are likely to side with growth every time unless there is some existing law/statute that prohibits it.  

Those of us who live near the proposed building site have known for years that some sort of multi-family development would occur there since the property sellers were demanding such a high price for the land. Our biggest concern is the scale of the proposed complex. Our hope was that voicing our concerns openly would prompt some sort of compromise in development scale to be more in line with the Plott Creek community as a whole. 

Considering a smaller complex such as less units or even less profile (one-story versus three-story units) or both would not only serve the needs of the town (additional housing) but also show the local residents that their concerns are considered as well. What I see from this town board decision is that there was no indication alternative proposals were even considered. Basically the board members seemed to say “suck it up neighbors, we know better than you what you need.”  

I realize the developer would not unilaterally offer alternate plans as his goal is to maximize profits. I look to the town leaders to consider all sides of the proposal when making decisions of this magnitude. I look to the town leaders to help us all meet in the middle. On that, they appear to have failed. Please push the developer to offer alternate, less-invasive proposals to better align with the existing community.

Steven Winchester

Waynesville