This is the July 3, 2008, public notice of the Cliffs at High Carolina’s request to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to impact about 6,000 linear feet of stream channel, .2 acres of wetlands and .03 acres of open water to build a golf course and residential development on 2,780 acres off Patton Cove Road near Swannanoa. The development is one of the biggest developments ever in Buncombe County.
Click here to download a PDF of the document.
• In an eight-page, Jan. 16 letter, the state Division of Water Quality requested more information from Don Nickell, the developer of The Cliffs at High Carolinas project in Fairview. DWQ has asked for disclosure of such details as what chemicals will be used for the golf course, how construction impacts on streams will be minimized, and what justification exists for some of the proposed culvert installations. Click here to download a PDF of the state’s written request.
• In a July 2, 2009, notification, the North Carolina Division of Water Quality issued a water-quality certification permit for The Cliffs at High Carolina. The certification allows owner Don Nickell to move forward with plans that affect about a quarter-acre of wetlands and open water, as well as 3,337 linear feet of streams located on the approximately 3,000-acre development site. Click here to download a PDF of the document.
According to a lengthy DWQ report that accompanied the permit, state officials took many of those concerns into consideration. In the months after the hearing, officials requested more information from Nickell, met with his representatives, and came up with a list of conditions for the permit, such as allowing no wet concrete in streams, installing culverts in ways that “allow aquatic life movement,” permitting no construction near trout streams during the spawning season, implementing a strict storm-water mitigation plan and requiring Nickell to monitor trout populations. Click here to download a PDF of the document.
We request a public hearing/meeting to discuss questions concerning our water supply and how this development could impact it. We would also like to be informed regarding pesticides used, plans for water run off, and general water use by the Cliffs golf course. We live in the Spring Mountain community. We hope the Cliffs will be respectful of the community’s dependency on our water supply which is by springs and wells. Current drought conditions mandate thoughtful and forward thinking plans.