Community Development, Department of Commerce

Recent WRO Projects

The WRO provides a wide variety of projects ranging from general technical assistance to lengthy and involved comprehensive plans.  Below is a sampling of projects managed by WRO staff. 

Comprehensive, Land Use, and Neighborhood Plans

• Town of Bryson City Land Development Plan
• Town of Cramerton Land Use Plan
• Clay County Comprehensive Plan:  Website
• Town of Clyde Land Use Plan
• Town of Forest City, Grahamtown Neighborhood Revitalization Plan
• Swain County Comprehensive Plan
• Valdese Town Development Plan

Strategic Planning and Visioning

• Town of Burnsville Strategic Plan Implementation Assistance
• Town of Mars Hill Strategic Plan
• Southwestern North Carolina Regional Vision and Planning Projects
• WNC Housing Partnership Strategic Plan

Small Town and Rural County Economic Development

• Town of Brevard Economic Development Incentives Research
• Clay County Economic Indicators
• Town of Crossnore Strategic Plan Update
• Town of Hayesville Market Analysis
• Town of Hildebran Market Analysis
• Town of Mars Hill Market Analysis
• Town of Tryon Economic Development Incentives Research
• Town of West Jefferson Zip Code Market Area Study

General Technical Assistance, Ordinance Assistance, and Problem Solving

• Town of Bryson City Form Based Code and Unified Development Ordinance
• Town of Bryson City Signs and Zoning Ordinances
• Town of Burnsville Zoning Ordinance Amendments
• Town of Maggie Valley Appearance Standards 
• Town of Maggie Valley Zoning and Land Use Procedures Update
• Town of Marshall Zoning Ordinance Amendments 
• Subdivision Ordinance Review and Amendments  
• Billboard and Sign Ordinance Review or Amendments
• Zoning Ordinance Amendments and Updates
• Zoning Technical Assistance
• Tree Protection Ordinances
• Annexation Studies, Voluntary Annexation Studies
• Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) Studies
• Plan, Ordinance, and Other Types of Document Review
• FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map Assistance

Customized Technical Assistance, Research, and Facilitation

• Community Data Report for HandMade in America (by DCA Intern Scott Pouder)
• Spruce Pine Nonresidential Building Maintenance Standards
• Lake Craig (City of Asheville) Flood Storage Environmental Assessment
• Henderson County Planning Staff Facilitation Training
• Uptown Shelby Association Downtown Stakeholders Planning Meeting
• City of Asheville Urban Progress Zone Assistance
• Town of Kingstown Sewer Rate Study
• Town of Dillsboro Interlocal Agreement
• Rutherford County Urban Progress Zone, Agrarian Growth Zones
• Town of Rosman Development Agreement Technical Assistance
• Town of Marion "Train the Trainer" Session for Comprehensive Plan
• Slope Ordinance Review, Slope Analysis, Slope Technical Assistance
• Seasonal Rental Ordinance Research
• Customized Board of Adjustment/Quasi-Judicial Training
• Customized Planning Board Training
• Preparing for a Comprehensive Plan or Land Use Plan Training
• Regional Board of Adjustment Training
• Regional Planning Board Training 

Affordable Housing Analysis

• Macon County Child Care Task Force: Intersection of Child Care, Affordable Housing, and Employment
• Town of Highlands Housing Market Analysis
• Cashiers Area Employee Survey and Affordable Housing Recommendations
• Town of Spindale Bakersville Neighborhood/Ellington Project Comparison 
• Town of Highlands Housing Market Analysis Cashiers Area Employee Survey and Affordable Housing Recommendations

Summer Intern Design Assistance

• Town of Andrews Design Ideas and Streetscape
• Town of Bakersville Courthouse Landscaping and Design
• Town of Crossnore Chimney's Trail Map
• Town of Crossnore Chimney's Trail Plan
• Town of Crossnore Dam Overlook Design
• Town of Hayesville Museum and Cherokee Winter House Exhibit
• Town of Hayesville Historic Courthouse Landscape Plan

GIS Analysis and Mapping Examples

• Ashe County Rail Trail
• Beaverdam Greenway (Asheville) Technical Assistance
• Bethel Land Conservation Plan:  Example One and Two
• Year of the Park Mapping with Buncombe County
• Town of Clyde GIS Technical Assistance
• Town of Wilkesboro Steep Slope Analysis
• Town of Hayesville Zoning Map
• Hot Springs Community Map
• Town of Hot Springs Zoning Map
• Town of Mars Hill Zoning Map
• Town of Midlands Build-out Analysis
• Town of Old Fort Building Inventory
• Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Mapping
• State and Town Population Map

Regional Projects, Projects with Community Partners, and Committee Work

Regional Projects with Community Partners

• Regional Brownfields Initiative with Land of Sky Regional Council
• Linking Lands and Communities with Land of Sky Regional Council
• GroWNC with Land of Sky Regional Council
• Blue Ridge Bike Plan with the French Broad River MPO
• Blue Ridge Parkway Transportation Modeling Project with the Asheville Design Center

Projects with Community Partners

• Bryson City Resource Team with HandMade in America and Asheville Design Center
• Town of Banner Elk Land Development Plan with Town of Banner Elk Planning Staff
• Clay County Farmland Preservation with Smithson Mills, Inc.
• Town of Hot Springs Comprehensive Plan with Land of Sky Regional Council
• Town of Newland Land Use Plan with High Country Council of Governments
• Surry Cluster NC STEP Coaching

Committee Membership, Organization Work, and Miscellaneous

• Technical Advisory Committee Member, Mountain Resources Commission
• Board and Staff Advisor, WNC Housing Partnership
• Coordinate Regional Planners Meetings
• NC Chapter of American Planning Association Board Membership
• Urban Design Lecture at Warren Wilson College
• Local Government Training Program at WCU, Advisory Group
• Pioneering Healthy Communities, Advisory Group