The Jackson County planning board is accepting written public comment through May 14 on the latest version of a draft steep slope ordinance.

A coffee shop.

That’s one of the more unique but interesting ideas that emerged during a series of public input sessions last week for a new Jackson County library.

After a two-year lull, debate over a controversial expressway through Jackson County known as the Southern Loop could soon re-emerge.

The Sylva library is favorite destination for Kim Mathis and her four children. There’s just one problem.

“The library has been this same size since I was a child,” said Mathis, 39. “I just want it to be larger and provide more books and more things and more space. It’s just not enough.”

Developers in Jackson County could be asked to designate 25 percent of new developments as conserved open space under a provision the Jackson County planning board is weighing.

Jackson County planning board meetings likely will get even more interesting as members move on to the nuts and bolts of a slope ordinance this month.

The town of Sylva is embarking on a smart growth plan that could reshape some of the town’s more unsightly commercial corridors in coming decades.

The moratorium on new subdivisions in Jackson County might be over before the five-month time period originally estimated if the planning board charged with drafting development regulations keeps up its current pace.

The best location for a new library in Jackson County appears to be up for discussion once more — with the idea of renovating and adding on to the vacant historic courthouse downtown back on the table.

What would you like to see in your new library?