Home Care In Etowah, NC

ETOWAH, N.C. (WLOS) — Etowah residents are continuing their battle against any developments on the local golf course.

Battle for the green: Etowah Valley residents rally against golf course development plans

It began in May, when Tribute Construction submitted an application to build an RV park and a new sewage treatment plant at Etowah Valley Golf & Resort.

The developer's application has since been resubmitted to turn part of the golf course into a 242-lot housing development.

Residents have continued to fight over the last few months against any development on the golf course they say must be preserved.

RV PARK WOULD BE A NIGHTMARE, ETOWAH VALLEY RESIDENTS SAY OF PLANS FOR NEARBY GOLF COURSE

David Garnett said nearby residents formed an opposition group when developers were attempting to turn the golf course into an RV park. And now that same group is opposed to the new subdivision plan.

“We do not know why, but Tribute Construction abandoned their plan to build an RV park and replaced it with a plan to build this 242-lot subdivision on the south course,” he said.

Garnett said the developers would have to destroy the nine-hole course on the south side to make room.

“I’ve not met anyone in Etowah, so far, that wanted the RV park or anyone that wanted the subdivision,” he said.

That includes Julie Brandt, whose home would back up to that nine-hole course that would be destroyed to make way for the subdivision.

Brandt said the entire situation has been extremely nerve-racking and frustrating and she just wants it to be over.

“I don’t want to see any building going on. I don't want to live near a wastewater treatment plant,” she said.

ETOWAH VALLEY GOLF & RESORT DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL HEADS TO PLANNING BOARD

Garnett and Brandt said the entire Etowah community is united in not wanting to see any developments go through.

“It would be bitterly and angrily and long remembered as a project that was forced on the Etowah community against our will,” Garnett said.

He said the golf course is the focal point of Etowah and the thought of destroying it for the sake of a subdivision doesn’t make sense to any of them.

Garnett’s worried that once that door to a large subdivision is opened, it won’t end there.

Garnett and Brandt are concerned about the amount of traffic that will be added to their area as well as what it will do to their home values.

“We are a little country town with little country roads,” Brandt said.

News 13 has reached out to Tribute Construction for a comment and has yet to get a response.

According to a representative with Henderson County, the subdivision plans were approved at Tuesday’s Technical Review Committee meeting and will now go to the Planning Board for a vote at its Aug. 24 meeting.

READ THE COMMENTS (4)

Click here to learn more about the Preserve Etowah Valley effort.

FLAT ROCK - Members of the Etowah community had their final chance to speak on Aug. 24 at the Henderson County Planning Board meeting at Blue Ridge Community College concerning a proposed 200-lot subdivision to be built at Etowah Valley Golf & Resort, and their voices were heard.

One by one, each resident, nearly 60 in all, gave reasons why the proposal shouldn't be approved, and after a nearly five-hour meeting, the board voted 6-3 to hold off on its decision until its Oct. 19 meeting to get more information from the developer, Tribute, and to also get the North Carolina Department of Transportation's report on the traffic impact.

The three board members voting against delaying the decision were Hunter Marks, Bruce Hatfield and Rick Livingston.

More:Zoning Board changes venue for meeting on proposed RV park at Etowah golf course

"I don't think we need to delay this. I think we need to make a decision. There's no since kicking it down the road," Marks said. "If this was a final site plan and we didn't have the details, I can see that. But because this is a master plan, I don't see the need or purpose of doing that."

Chair Steve Dozier said he believed it was a good idea to table the decision since there had been three changes to the plan so far. In June, Tribute proposed a 343-lot RV park to go on the 83 acres of Etowah's South Course. Just a few weeks later in mid-July, that proposal was withdrawn and replaced with a 242-lot subdivision. Last week, it changed once again to a 200-lot subdivision.

"The concern I've got and I think some of the other board members is we've seen so many changes in the last 30 days ... 300 and some odd RV spaces, 242 to 200. Is that a final number we have to march forward? We don't know at this point," he said.

Marks said he knows both sides believe that it's a clear-cut decision. He said on one side, it's all about the law, and if the law is being followed, it should be approved. He then said on the other side, there are so many impacts to the community, that many feel like it's a slam dunk and should be denied.

"It's not an easy job. You really struggle with what to do. When it comes down to it, we've got laws. We've got to follow these laws. I agree with a lot of things folks have said tonight. I can definitely sympathize," he said.

Members of the community argued against the subdivision, which would have one to two family units (duplexes) per lot, citing increased traffic, sewage concerns, homes being devalued, flooding concerns, adding more students to schools and most of all, taking away from the scenic beauty of the course.

Hatfield strongly agreed with the community members and was ready to give his vote.

"I recommend we deny this," he said, and the crowd clapped in approval. "Personally, I've seen property values depreciate. It happened to me. I had a nice old house on an acre, with 100 acres of woods surrounding it. They built a trailer park on it, and I lost the value of my house."

Dozier made it clear that this was the final time there would be public comment on this issue.

Etowah golf course:Application for RV Park withdrawn for a new project

"This gives the developer more time to fully analyze what they want to do there. All public comment is over now. We've had that opportunity. The next meeting will be us just discussing the pros and cons or the advantages and disadvantages of this development going forward. There will be no more public comment, just so everyone knows," he said.

For their last time to speak on the subject, Etowah community members took the opportunity at the Aug. 24 meeting. By 3:30 p.m., a line had formed in the lobby outside of Bo Thomas Auditorium of people signing up to speak. In all 64 signed up, but a few of them had left prior to the meeting's end. Most of them were wearing buttons protesting the developer, Tribute.

What Etowah community members said

What one of the owners of the golf course said

What the Tribute attorney said

"Boy... those were a lot of heartfelt comments. I represent both sides, neighbors and developers ... I understand. We have law on our society for a lot of good reasons. We have rules, and those rules serve a purpose. For this piece of property, the rules are set up by your elected officials. There are zoning rules. A lot of what you heard tonight was a zoning issue. But before you is what are your subdivision rules. That's what we're dealing with tonight. It's important that we follow the rule of law. We can't allow passion and emotion to overcome. It is quite easy to sit here and listen after 2-3 hours of folks telling you to deny this. It's easy to go, 'well, let's just deny it.' I would submit to you, Mr. Chairman, that might be the easy way, but that's not the way that I hope this board will follow. Following the rule of law is going to be harder. Rules matter." - Craig Justus, attorney for Tribute

The next meeting

The Planning Board will once again discuss the matter at its Oct. 19 meeting. Dozier said the board is expecting another large crowd, so it will hold its meeting at 4 p.m. again at Bo Thomas Auditorium at Blue Ridge Community College.

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at [email protected]. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Developers in Henderson County are working to purchase Etowah Valley Golf & Resort and turn a portion of it into an RV park. Since finding out about the plan, many nearby residents have been working to stop it.

RV park would be a nightmare, Etowah Valley residents say of plans for nearby golf course

Julie Brandt said they just found out about Tribute Investment and Development Inc.'s proposal two weeks ago.

“I have walked that golf course for 32 years, and it breaks my heart to see what’s going to happen to it,” she said.

Brandt said the developer wants to build 343 RV parking spaces. She said the idea is to create the RV park around the 27-hole course. Brandt said two of the course's three nine-hole configurations would be affected.

Brandt said the nine holes that she lives on will be reduced to five and the RV spots will be a central part of that acreage.

She’s upset that she and many of her neighbors will not have acres of woodlands to look at anymore. Instead, the view outside their windows will be of an RV park and those staying there.

NOT ALL APPLE FARMERS OPPOSE EXPANSION OF HENDERSON COUNTY SEWER LINES

Brandt said plans call for another road to be added into the park and a sewage treatment plant, which means a lot more traffic, pollution and noise for nearby residents.

“It’s going to get quite busy in the backyard, and it’s not going to be tranquil any longer,” she said.

Brandt said their quiet and peaceful neighborhood will be gone and the face of the golf course will also be changed.

She said her property value recently went up by 30%, and, if this RV park is built, she will lose 25% of her home value.

“I’ll be paying taxes on a home that has just increased in value 33% and I’ll be paying taxes on a home that’s actually not even worth that anymore if it goes through,” Brandt said.

Paula Hahn expressed similar concerns.

Hahn said she and her husband moved to the area from Colorado. She said, when they pulled into the driveway of what is now their home, they saw the golf course and knew that’s where they were going to live.

DREAMCATCHER PLANS 8-STORY BOUTIQUE HOTEL AT AVL'S BROADMOOR GOLF LINKS

For her, the possibility of an RV park being built there would be her worst nightmare.

“I could not believe it. I figured out of all scenarios this is like the worst scenario,” Hahn said.

Brandt and Hahn said they’re working to get legal counsel to fight the plan. And there's even a neighborhood group opposing the RV park.

“We’ve got a website, we’ve got Facebook pages, we have an email address, and I’ve been receiving 10 to 15 emails every day on how can I help, what can I do,” Hahn said.

Henderson County officials said the project is in the early stages.

On May 31, the Zoning Board of Adjustment will begin reviewing the merit of the application.

On that same day, residents said they will also be able to present their side to the board of why they don’t believe this park should be built on the golf course.

The county said it’s too early to tell how long the review of the developer’s application will take.

News13 also reached out to the developer and has yet to hear a response.

To see more about the neighbors' work to stop the process of the park being built, click here.

ETOWAH COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) - Storm clean-up is underway in Etowah County after officials confirm an EF 0 tornado came through the Sardis area late last Friday. Several nearby cities are coming together to help with the recovery process.

Interim Gadsden Etowah County EMA Director Josh Tanner says about 600 trees fell because of the storm and getting those cleaned up could cost homeowners hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Cities like Hokes Bluff, Gadsden, Southside, and more are coming together to help their neighbors in their time of need.

“We experienced in Sardis City and Boaz an EF-0 tornado over the weekend. Late Friday night. Very early Saturday morning. Winds up to 85 miles an hour. Some stronger,” says Tanner.

A few homes were damaged and one trailer was destroyed. Tanner says two people were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He’s thankful that things weren’t worse, but now they are concerned about several trees being down.

“They are perfect ground for snakes to be under,” says Tanner. “They cause further issues with blocking roadways as well as drainage issues the list just goes on and on.”

Tanner says he reached out to Gadsden’s mayor for assistance with debris cleanup and that call led to cities like Attalla and Rainbow City offering their employees and trucks to assist.

“We were very fortunate that a lot of the mayors in the municipalities in the area in the county were able to send up ten public works trucks today to assist with the clean-up process,” says Tanner. “When everybody’s on the same page, everybody’s working together, that’s when Etowah County is at its best.”

The EMA says they are planning another clean-up day soon to work with the cities again to get all of the debris removed.

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The Etowah County Commission on Tuesday approved a three-year contract with Arrow Disposal Services to handle the county’s residential solid waste collection and disposal. The changeover is effective April 1.

County officials hope to see an improvement in service compared to previous provider Waste Management, but it will come at a cost: a nearly $9 monthly increase in the fee for county residents in the first year, increasing to nearly $11 by the end of the agreement.

Those residents currently pay $14.49 a month for garbage service, and the rate hasn’t increased in three years. The rate moving forward with Arrow Disposal will be $23.45 in the first year, $24.45 in the second year and $25.45 in the third year.

That was the lowest bid, according to county officials. The next lowest was $26 a month, and that vendor would not commit beyond one year.

Still, Gentry Shows, vice president of marketing for Arrow Disposal, called it “the best deal out here.”

“Everything that you’ve seen bid in the last year has been north of $22,” Shows told commissioners after they went into a work session, before the contract was approved during the regular meeting.

“Sometimes I talk with some of the citizens who call and complain, and here’s the way I explain it,” he said. “... If you call a plumber to your house, you’re going to pay a minimum of $100 to $125 just for him to show up. We have a $350,000 truck and a $20 an hour driver, and we’re paying $30 a ton at the landfill — and we come to your house four times a month for about $5 or $6 a visit.”

Commission President Craig Inzer Jr., who noted that issues with garbage collection have been particularly acute in his district, said he understands there will be concerns about the increase, but added, “We have responsibly have gone out and sought a responsible vendor that will communicate.

“It should be a simple task, you pay your money and you get your trash picked up,” Inzer said. “But I’ve had more concerns about getting cans, getting trash picked up. It’s been a complete mess in my district, but we’ve done all we can, and the lowest bidder is Arrow.”

Arrow Disposal is an Alabama company, based in Abbeville, which serves clients in Alabama and Mississippi. Shows said it handles garbage collection for a dozen or so counties in each state (including Calhoun and DeKalb), and in Alabama also serves Attalla, Ashville, Ohatchee, Ragland and Steele.

Purchasing Accountant Melissa Lett, who recommended the bid, said she’d gotten letters of recommendation for Arrow Disposal from other counties, and as a resident of Attalla has experienced the company’s service and has had “no issues.”

Shows said Arrow Disposal is “looking forward to serving the county,” and has secured carts and trucks to be able to “hit the ground running.”

He said his company hopes to keep route dates close to where they are now, and will coordinate with Waste Management to ensure there’s no gap in residents having carts for their garbage. The goal is for Arrow Disposal to distribute its carts, by route dates, after Waste Management collects its carts on its final pickup days.

Updates will be posted on Etowah County's website.

Arrow Disposal also will continue setting out open-top containers periodically at locations in the county, for residents to dispose of trash.

Shows pledged that his company will be responsive to any issues; county officials mentioned communication issues with the previous vendor.

"We’re not perfect,” he said. “If you run trucks and have people, you’re going to have issues. But I think you’ll see the difference in dealing with us is that we react. We answer our phone, we take calls and we fix anything that needs to be fixed.”