Frequently Asked Questions
This page provides answers to some basic questions about ReCodify Cashiers. This page will be modified as new questions arise over the course of the project. If you have a question that is not answered below, please pose your question in the textbox at the bottom of the page and include your email if you would like a County staff member to respond. If enough people ask the same or similar question it will be added to this list of FAQs.
What is the ReCodify Cashiers project?
What is the Unified Development Ordinance?
What is the Cashiers Small Area Plan?
What is the Urban Land Institute's Report?
Why is the County doing this project now?
What are the steps in the process?
How can I get more involved in the process?
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WHAT IS THE RECODIFY CASHIERS PROJECT?
The ReCodify Cashiers project is an effort undertaken by Jackson County, with assistance from CodeWright Planners, Both& Planning, and Angie Manning Consultants, to update and modernize the County’s Unified Development Ordinance (“UDO”) through an overhaul to Section 9.3, the Cashiers Commercial District. New section 9.3 will implement the Cashiers Small Area Plan and some of the development-related recommendations from the Urban Land Institute’s Advisory Services Panel Report. The new standards are expected to raise the bar for development quality, clarify the desired community character, enhance transportation connectivity, create a broader array of housing options, promote the establishment of open space, and create new more legally defensible review procedures that permit greater community input on larger proposed development.
WHAT IS THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE?
The Unified Development Ordinance (or the “UDO”) is the set of laws governing the use of land within the unincorporated portions of Jackson County. The UDO establishes the kinds of land uses that may be permitted, where those uses may be permitted, the process used by the County to consider requests to establish allowable uses, how uses and land development activities may be operated, how sites and site features supporting land uses are to be configured, and how violations of the County’s land use rules are determined and addressed. In addition to the written rules, the UDO also includes the Official Zoning Map, or the graphic distribution of zoning districts (and thus allowable use types). The rules for the Cashiers Commercial District are a part of the UDO. A digital version of the UDO and portion of the Official Zoning Map depicting the boundaries of the Cashiers Commercial District are available under the Documents tab.
WHAT IS THE CASHIERS SMALL AREA PLAN?
The Cashiers Small Area Plan is a portion of the County’s adopted policy guidance that was adopted in March 2019 and provides a framework and series of recommendations for guiding growth and development in the Cashiers area over the next several years. The plan sets out a vision for the future of the village and five goals for future development, a framework of seven different character areas, a series of recommendations for land use, housing, natural resources, transportation connectivity, and infrastructure. The goals and recommendations set out in the small area plan are implemented by the County through changes to the Unified Development Ordinance as well as other actions outlined in the plan. A copy of the plan is available under the Documents tab.
WHAT IS THE URBAN LAND INSTITUTE’S REPORT?
The Urban Land Institute’s Advisory Services Panel Report is a report commissioned by the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce in February 2022. The Chamber, the County, the Tourism Development Authority, and over 200 Cashiers residents and businesses all contributed financially to the report's preparation. The report provides a series of observations and recommendations about how the Cashiers community can or should develop over the near term while protecting its small town, rural character. The report examines recent development pressures and larger underlying trends in Appalachian mountain and resort communities. It describes a series of growth techniques including conservation development, an emphasis on the “mountain aesthetic,” walkability, housing diversity, and mixed use development. The report also examines transportation issues and some hypothetical design concepts around 6 potential development sites. While the ULI report is not a part of the County's adopted policy guidance, it is endorsed by Jackson County and it does support and embrace many of the Small Area Plan concepts and recommendations. As such, the ideas and recommendations in the ULI study will be reviewed and incorporated into the Cashiers development regulations in ways that are supported by the community and the County. A copy of the report is available under the Documents tab.
WHY IS THE COUNTY DOING THIS PROJECT NOW?
Up to recent past, utility and infrastructure capacity have been major limiting factors for development in southern Jackson County, including Cashiers. This situation is starting to change. TWSA continues to recognize wastewater capacity allocation on some sites in Cashiers, and on-site wastewater treatment still remains an option, even for more intense forms of development. Potable water is also a challenge, but new developments are now considering utilization of potable water from sources as far away as a mile or more. Stormwater management continues to remain a vital concern, particularly in light of changing climate trends. These factors, in combination with continued tourism interest in the community, and a strong market for residential development, all point to the need for the ReCodify Cashiers project to establish updated development regulations for the area.
WHAT ARE THE STEPS IN THE PROCESS?
ReCodify Cashiers has about 7 steps in the process over the period from December 2022 through November 2023. The table below lists the tasks and associated timeframes. The schedule may change but the tasks will remain the same throughout the project. Additional information on the project schedule is available under the Schedule tab of this webpage.
WILL MY PROPERTY BE AFFECTED?
At this point, the ReCodify Cashiers project is focused solely on revisions to the standards in Section 9.3 of the County’s UDO, which corresponds to the land included within Cashiers Commercial Zoning district as depicted on the County’s Official Zoning Map and in the reproduced image below. The Small Area Plan for Cashiers contemplated an area larger than the Cashiers Commercial Zoning District, but the ultimate extent of the development regulations associated with ReCodify Cashiers has not yet been decided, and will be considered during the process. If you own land within the current commercial zoning district, it will almost certainly be affected by this project.
HOW CAN I GET MORE INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS?
ReCodify Cashiers includes a series of meetings with the Cashiers Community Planning Council as well as a series of five public forums at key stages in the process. The consulting team is also instituting a series of “office hours” visits to Cashiers where consulting team members will be available for individual meetings and small group presentations or discussions as time permits. Persons interested in scheduling a meeting or presentation during office hours should contact County staff to get on the schedule. The adoption process includes at least three public meetings or hearings where members of the public may provide input. Additional details on the ways to become more involved are available on the Participate tab of this webpage.
