Realtors in NC will have another Material Fact to disclose.
Just passing along some information I think is going to become is a huge issue here in the mountains of Western, NC! If this passes it certainly is going to scare future buyers and sellers will lose value if their home that already exists in a slope area considered dangerous or a could be. Future sellers of land are in danger of this also. I do agree however that every home's foundation that is build on a slope should be engineered period. I know our company Future Homes by Joe Tassillo, Inc. gets every foundation engineered. Could Insurance companies be popping up with slope insurance? You can't buy it now. Lots of issues to think about.
WARNING!
IF YOU THINK THE NEW STEEP (SAFE) SLOPE ORDINANCE WON’T AFFECT YOU…THINK AGAIN!
Your local government proposes to further regulate ALL construction on ALL slopes greater than 18 degrees (30%) under the new, proposed Steep (Safe) Slope Ordinance.
PROBLEM IS… The very real possibility exists that you could lose the ability to build on your land! If you did build on it, this new regulation could add an additional $18,000.00 (or more) to the cost of construction just in testing fees not including “over-engineering” costs! Will YOUR taxes go up as the County proposes to hire additional enforcement personnel, a county staff engineer, vehicle/s equipment etc. and at what cost.... $ 150,000.00 or even $ 250,000.00 per year? But that’s not all! After Safe Slope they propose yet another regulation for “storm water runoff”! All this to be imposed on our single largest industry; construction & real estate in the middle of the worst economic recession of our lifetimes!!! That ought to really help our job and employment situation!
SELLING YOUR EXISTING HOME? If your home or land lies in either the “Downslide Hazard Zone or the upper threshold of the Soil Stability Index” regardless of the accuracy of these maps and the fact that they probably never even came to your house to truly check it out, will you be required to advise all prospective buyers that your house may be unsafe? If the mountain around you has been there for 10,000 years, do we really want to be doing this? Are people really in danger? What will this do you your property values or your ability to find a buyer?
REALTORS: Are you aware that you may be required to add a “Landslide Hazard” or similar type disclosure form when making ANY sales in Macon County?
AND ALL THIS BECAUSE WHY?
1). In the last 60 (maybe even 100 or more) years, no one has ever been injured or killed in Macon County due to a landslide! NOTE: Peeks Creek is excluded because NO ordinance could have prevented it since it was a global slope failure and started on USFS land which CAN NOT be regulated.
2). Logging, farming or any USFS land can NOT be regulated by this or ANY other ordinance! USFS represents 50% of the steepest and most vulnerable land in the County so what’s the point of regulating the rest of us into oblivion? Just living life has its risks you know. Yellowstone could erupt, the African coastline is slipping into the Atlantic Ocean which could send a 2,000’ high tidal wave slamming into the east coast. Dams can break. Icy roads, chimney fires etc. Do we need ordinances for all these too?
3). Only 1 home “slid” in the same time period but there were NO injuries! Possibly 2 others damaged but how many homes have been built in the last several decades even before building codes???
4). Water is the trigger for landslides. Yet NO ONE can predict exactly where wet weather springs will appear regardless of how much is spent on testing and engineering!
5). Does any of this make sense or is this just another veiled attempt to stop growth in Macon County? We don't have the answers to all these questions but we ALL better find out real quick like!
HELP – Just 1 hour - That's all!!!
THE NEXT PLANNING BOARD MEETING IS THIS WEEK:
Thursday – May 20, 2010 at 5:00 pm
We NEED YOU there!!!
Location: Upper Cartoogechaye Community Center – Gillespie Chapel
Directions To Gillespie Chapel
From Sylva Rd./ US-441 BUS North
Go WEST onto Murphy Road/US-64W
Turn left onto West Old Murphy Road (On left where the 4-lane becomes 2- lane)
Continue West on Old Murphy Road (1.6 mi)
Turn left onto North Jones Creek Road (2.1 mi.) destination on left.
2186 North Jones Creek Road
Please don’t let us down. If you have never gotten involved before now is the time to start before it’s too late!!!
HAD ENOUGH YET?
We are being regulated out of work and existence! This regulation certainly can not help what little life remains in our only industry…construction! If people aren’t working they don’t spend money at local restaurants, businesses etc. We are ALL affected! There were 7 people injured or killed in 2009 in our local streams and waterfalls. There are 43,000 people per year hurt in bathtubs. What about trees falling on and causing property damage to homes? Where will they stop if you don’t stand up now? Remember, complacency got us into the mess we find ourselves in now!
IF YOU LOVE REGULATION…Just stay home and watch this baby get shoved down your throat!!!
IF NOT, PLEASE JOIN US AT THE NEXT MEETING.
PLEASE – Forward this to EVERYONE you know!
We need turnout and we need people!!!
CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF!!!
The Planning Department under the leadership of Derek Roland, County Planner has put up a great website. Derek should be commended!
Visit: http://www.maconnc.org/planning/slopes.html
Read the proposed regulations yourself, leave your comments and even see if your property falls into the various hazard areas. Be sure to read the Feb. 2010 Planning Board minutes while you're there which proves many of the issues pointed out above!
Wouldn’t hurt to email your Commissioners & Planning Board Members and let them know where you stand!
Simply ask your leaders: WHY do we need this new Safe Slope regulation? Where is the problem? Who and how many have been injured or killed? Can Macon County really afford this? Don’t we have bigger issues facing Macon County? Let them know that you are concerned about what excessive regulation will do to our local economy as well as YOUR property! Speak your mind because if you don’t they will just assume that you are in favor of MORE REGULATION! Just copy and paste the email list below into your address bar and email them all at once: County Commissioners & Planning Board Members:
beale@dnet.net, bobsimpson_240@msn.com, coachkuppers@verizon.net, jim@davisforncsenate.com, brian.mcclellan@edwardjones.com, susan_e_ervin@yahoo.com, al.slagle@ncmail.net, aemarsh1@verizon.net, evelyn@sellingfranklin.com, karl@nci-nc.com, sprinkle.lamar@verizon.net, stengernc@aol.com, penlandgolf@earthlink.net, mbwest001@yahoo.com, droland@maconnc.org, grubermann@franklinnc.com, rbeale1955@yahoo.com, jmorgan@maconnc.org,
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