Wilson Creek property sold to conservancy

A large swath of property along Wilson Creek that had been considered for development last year has been sold to a non-profit, regional land trust with the purpose of turning it over for state management.

During Monday night's Caldwell County Board of Commissioners meeting in Lenoir, Commissioner Ron Beane announced the land sale. According to a news release by the Foothills Conservancy, the group has agreed to purchase 649 acres along four miles of Wilson Creek from the Lutz Family Partnership for $7 million.

Wilson Creek is a federally-designated wild and scenic river. The Foothills Conservancy said the purchase has been made with the intent to turn the land over to the state for management by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

The sale comes after the Lutz Family Partnership considered selling the property last August to a residential developer for the proposed 250-lot Preserve at Wilson Creek. Following strong opposition, the property was taken off the market by Herbert Lutz, managing partner for the family's interest.

The county commissioners have had a moratorium on the subdivision of new property within the Wilson Creek area since last June.

“Our family is humbled by the thought of future generations being able to enjoy the natural beauty and history that Foothills Conservancy is providing with the acquisition of this scenic land,” Lutz said.

The purchase is contingent on funding requests by both the Foothills Conservancy and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, which are pending before the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund and the N.C. Natural Heritage Trust Fund. According to the contract, the purchase must be finalized before the end of 2009.

“Wilson Creek is sacred ground to the people of Caldwell County,” Beane said. “This is another vital step in a vision that the Caldwell County Commissioners and citizens had in the late 1990s for preserving this national treasure.”

Meanwhile, the commissioners by a 3-2 vote turned down an Economic Development Grant request by Hunt Shuford and David Looper, on behalf of D&H Real Estate, LLC, for a proposed medical offices development off U.S. 321 next to Lowe's Home Improvement.

The decision marks the first time in more than 10 years that the commissioners have not approved an incentive request that would have added, in this case $10 million, to the county's tax base.

According to Economic Development Commission Senior Development Manager Alan Wood, the incentive request was for $49,482 for four years. Shuford twice had pitched the economic grant before the board, citing unanticipated extra costs in grading the property for the 48,000-square-foot complex. At a commission meeting in December, the incentive request was not acted upon by the board.

Commission Chairman Herb Greene and Commissioner Faye Higgins supported the economic incentive. Commissioners Beane, Dr. John Thuss and Don Barrier voted against the proposal.

In lodging her support for the grant, Higgins noted that an urgent care center, which had been part of the initial plan and had drawn strong opposition from Caldwell Memorial Hospital CEO Laura Easton, had been removed.

“In my mind, this does not pose a threat to an existing facility,” Higgins said.

In voicing his support for the plan, Greene said the commissioners need to be careful about protecting certain businesses. He also criticized Caldwell Memorial's relationship with a for-profit hospital.

“I used to empathize and sympathize with Caldwell Memorial,” Greene said. “Then I learned that the hospital has a business arrangement by Frye (Regional Medical Center) for home health care, and I lost all my sympathy.”

In voting against the economic grant, Beane said he did not agree with Greene's assessment about protecting businesses.

“We need to look at things the way they are,” he said. “I don't feel like we've overly protected any of these businesses.”

Barrier added that the medical center project did not require the county's assistance to move forward.

“I'm of the opinion that incentives need to be for making things happen,” Barrier said. “With this particular project, it doesn't need the incentive to make it go. There is a difference between an incentive and a reward.”

In other business, the commissioners:

€ Approved a mono-pole cellular tower for Pegasus Tower in the Collettsville community. The board also scheduled an appeal by the company for the April 21 meeting to consider a similar tower in the Yadkin Valley community that was turned town by the Caldwell Planning Board.

€ Approved the changes to the zoning ordinances in the Caldwell Land Development Plan, with the provision that language concerning strategic corridors be revisited by the planning board.

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