After almost a year of work, discussion and often tense disagreement on the issue, Macon County is set to continue its pursuit of adjustments to its floodplain ordinances and considerations about possible removal of Lake Emory Dam in the new year. Not only did the effects of Hurricane Helene change the nature of these discussions, but new leadership on the county commission could impact the course it chooses. 

Haywood County Recreation is offering a wilderness navigation course that will equip hikers with the basics of modern navigation required to not become lost in the wilderness. 

A series of meetings this month in seven communities along the Blue Ridge Parkway will help formulate an action plan for Blue Ridge Rising, a regional planning effort uniting gateway communities along the Parkway.

The DuPont State Recreational Forest in Henderson and Transylvania counties is launching a master planning process, with an online survey and an upcoming drop-in session 2:30-6:30 p.m. Monday, July 24, at the Henderson County Public Library, planned to take public input.

After reviewing applications and conducting a thorough interview process, the Town of Waynesville’s Board of Aldermen have settled on four new members of the planning board. 

Increasingly, the Town of Waynesville’s planning board has found itself at the crossroads of preservation and development as housing market pressures weigh upon the pastoral setting that drew many residents to move to Haywood County in the first place.

In an effort to strike a balance between development pressures and a need for growth, the Town of Canton adopted its first major comprehensive plan June 23, and will soon vote to update its subdivision and land development ordinance.

Update March 24, 2022: Near the end of a chaotic March 21 meeting of the Town of Waynesville’s planning board, a vote was taken to consider recommending the Allison Acres project to the Board of Aldermen. That vote was 4 to 3 in favor of approval.

If the proposed master plan is adopted, over the coming years the university will focus its development efforts on five districts described in the document. 

At a board retreat this month, Western Carolina University trustees got their first look at a draft proposed 10-year master plan update that calls for a reimagined library, beefed-up athletic facilities, and overall improvements to campus organization and aesthetics.