Years of wrestling over a location for a new Jackson County library will come to a close next month.

Jackson County commissioners pledged to pick a site for a new library at their next meeting on Oct. 1. There are two main contenders: the hill behind the historic courthouse overlooking Main Street and a two-acre tract on the outskirts of town adjacent to the Jackson Plaza strip mall.

When Rhonda Williams fired up her laptop in the Sylva library a couple of weeks ago, she was pleasantly surprised to pick up a wireless Internet signal.

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.

Ginny Faust, a professional planning consultant, posed a tough question to members of the Sylva Town Board and planning board last week.

The Downtown Sylva Association has dropped the idea of a special downtown property tax due to a lack of support among merchants.

Controversy among downtown Sylva merchants and property owners could either escalate or come to a close this week, depending on what route the Downtown Sylva Association takes at a town board meeting Thursday expected to draw crowds of merchants.

Leaders of a downtown Sylva movement are considering downsizing a proposed special taxing district to encompass only the core downtown area.

Downtown Sylva Association members have voted unanimously to hire an executive director, setting the organization up to more actively advocate for the downtown community.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Parking along Sylva’s downtown Main Street is a challenge.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

The Town of Sylva has begun surveying the Fisher Creek watershed in anticipation of receiving a $3.5 million conservation easement to be awarded by the Clean Water Management Trust Fund.