This is not what Waynesville needs
Editor’s note
As Tony Dillard notes in this guest column, we’ve printed two other opinion pieces over the last two weeks by Waynesville aldermen Chuck Dickson and Jon Feichter regarding this annexation and the issue of whether these housing developments fit into the character of Waynesville. It’s unusual for The Smoky Mountain News to then give this much space to a third opinion piece, but given the importance of this issue — how will we grow — we decided to give Mr. Dillard the opportunity to voice his concerns. To note, Dillard is a private citizen in Waynesville.
— Scott McLeod, SMN Editor
Following a very contentious Waynesville Town Board meeting on April 14 — when council voted to annex Phase 2 of the Queen’s Farm/Valleywood Farms property — Alderman Chuck Dickson submitted an article to The Smoky Mountain News titled “Why I Voted To Annex Queen’s Farm” to attempt to justify his and the Council’s decision to annex this property over the many objections of the community.
On April 29, Councilmember Jon Feichter submitted an article to the SMN titled “Growth Is Inevitable, How We Grow Is A Choice,” to clarify why he was the only dissenting vote and to validate the reasoning by which this annexation and further development on Queen’s Farm should never have been approved.
This article is in response to both previous articles to further validate Feichter and to offer more facts which establish the fallacy of Dickson’s position. After reading this article and entertaining the facts and information provided, I request that all Waynesville residents who are convinced that the further development of Queen’s Farm is, in fact, detrimental to the community and future character of Waynesville/Haywood County, contact me and become party to a petition to demand that the Council rescind this annexation; or, in the alternative, become party to a legal action which would nullify the annexation and provide a cease and desist judgment against any further development on Queen’s Farm by this particular developer.
Let’s look at some interesting facts which Dickson chose to omit or tried to minimize in his article.
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Dickson cited the town’s 2020 development plan known as “2035” as the authority the town relied upon for the decision to annex, stating the annexation would “preserve our ‘small town feel’ and beautiful views.”
Really? I would encourage you to look at Phase 1 of Queen’s Farm. Evaluate for yourself if this housing development, in fact, preserves the “character” of Waynesville’s “small town feel” and does it preserve and maintain the “beautiful views” of the area? While examining and evaluating this development, take a look at the companion developments erected on the Old Clyde Highway at the Patton Farm Area and on U.S. 276 in the Jonathan Creek area. While these developments are in the county, their nature of gross unsightliness to the “character” of the surrounding community are unequivocal testament of exactly what is in store to “preserve the small town feel” in the Phase 2 development along Ratcliff Cove and Raccoon roads.
While Phase 1 is an eyesore to the surrounding community, Phase 2 shall undoubtably compound that unsightliness. Dickson elaborates upon the fact that these structures meet the required designation for “single-family homes” and will have “wide streets, tree plantings and sidewalks. It will be a walkable neighborhood with recreation spaces and a public greenway …” Really? Again, take a good look at the Phase 1 development at Queen’s Farm; take a good look at the development at Patton Farm and Jonathan Creek. This is the future of Phase 2 and Ratcliff Cove/Raccoon Road. Mr. Dickson is attempting to put lipstick on a pig and sell it as a runway model.
Dickson extols the position that the developer will pay for the cited civic improvements and for changes which will lessen traffic on Sunnyside Road. That’s notable if it had any real validity and merit. With the development and construction associated with Phase 1 of Queen’s Farm, Sunnyside Road was virtually destroyed along its entire length. A once narrow, rural lane serving a few cars daily to approximately 10 residences, became a rutted, gutted, potholed nightmare serving construction vehicles and an additional 100-150 vehicles belonging to the new residents of Phase 1. Sunnyside Road became so bad in disrepair, the town had to provide repairs and patching for the full length of the road, not the developer.
The developer is DR Horton. That “lauded” developer is currently under multiple class-action lawsuits in multiple states. Why? Foundation deficiencies (Hawaii), structural instability (S.C.), construction defects/deficiencies and defective design (La.), mortgage fraud (federal case), employment complaints (multiple states). What you presently see in the existing developments by DR Horton are development, construction, maintenance nightmares waiting to happen, if they are not already happening to the hapless individuals who were drawn into the DR Horton web of false promises and shoddy construction. Please reference again how Dickson places credence and dependence upon a developer who is an established shyster.
It would seem rather obvious that Mr. Dickson and the other members of the Council would have been completely aware of the present and continuing reputation and legal difficulties of this developer they entrusted to the development of Phase 1; but, they somehow chose to ignore the existing facts and have voted to move forward with the development of Phase 2 and disregard the community but also the hapless individuals who will invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in real estate which will soon become a maintenance nightmare in a depreciated market.
Not only does DR Horton scam the community and the investor, the company contributes little, if anything, to the local economy. Materials for construction are sourced from suppliers not affiliated with the local economy. His labor force for each phase of construction consists of crews contracted from other areas. His subcontractors for electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, etc., are not locally sourced. What are the developer and these developments really contributing to our community now and for the future?
What they are contributing to the future of Waynesville is the immediate creation of eyesores to our community, a greater demand upon all facets of the infrastructure (water, sewer, electrical service, vehicle traffic/road maintenance/construction, garbage/waste collection). Envision the condition and congestion imposed on Sunnyside Road as a result of Phase 1 and envision the same and worse to come to Ratcliff Cove and Raccoon roads at the cost of the community to repair and upgrade along with the rest of the infrastructure when demands exceed what is the present capacity to provide.
Feichter was the only member of the Council who had the intelligence, the common sense, the integrity and the respect for the future of our community to vote no. His vote against Phase 2 annexation should be heeded as a “wake up call” for the community to demand that the Council listen to the voices and desires of the constituency, not the ploys of developers and political expediency for personal agendas. Every voice which attended the April 14 meeting spoke strongly against the proposed annexation. For Dickson to take the position that his vote, and the other members’ votes, were “soundly” based upon the Plan 2035 is in direct conflict with the voices of the constituency and in direct conflict with sound, intelligent reasoning.
The 2035 plan was formulated more than six years ago. All plans must be formulated to be of ability to change, adapt and improvise with any/all conditions which arise after the plan is made. No plan is set in stone, as any sane person will tell you: Man plans; God laughs. The 2035 plan did not account for a shyster developer nor for single-family homes to be crowded together in tenement rows. The 2035 plan did not account for the development of an eyesore for the community nor for “affordable housing” no one in the community can afford. The 2035 plan may have been seen as viable and positive for Waynesville in 2020, but it is now 2026 and the voices of the community say that it isn’t. That should be the controlling factor in any vote for annexation. The only factor. Feichter voted for the voices of the community and for retaining a Waynesville which is genuinely envisioned within any intelligent and reasoned interpretation of plans for growth and development.
In closing, I would again request that those who are genuinely interested in joining me to bring a petition to demand that the Council rescind its approval of annexation; and/or, in the alternative, in joining me to become a party to a legal action which would nullify this annexation and provide a cease and desist judgment against any further development on Queen’s Farm by the current developer, to contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by text at 828.399.1884.
