Ray Trine eased past the gatehouse guarding the entrance of a Cashiers development and turned up a gentle road landscaped with boulders, ferns and rhododendrons that give way to the forest.

For the second week in a row, the Jackson County planning board watered down proposed development regulations following rounds of public comment.

A group of Realtors and developers challenging the legality of Jackson County’s five-month moratorium on new subdivisions lost the first round in court Thursday (May 24.)

As public comments rolled in to the Jackson County planning office on a proposed steep slope ordinance, one provision that seemed to cause the most ire was already a moot point.

Proposed development regulations in Jackson County were made later this week after dozens of written public comments flooded the planning office expressing concerns.

A group of Realtors and developers filed a lawsuit against Jackson County this week over a subdivision moratorium imposed by the county in February.

The Jackson County planning board is accepting written public comment through May 14 on the latest version of a draft steep slope ordinance.

Local governments balking at controlling development on steep mountainsides would be forced into action if the General Assembly passes a state bill introduced earlier this month.

When County Commissioner Will Shelton gave up time on his farm and with his four young children to run for political office in Jackson County last year, he made a pledge to voters to address the uncontrolled growth sweeping the county.

Jackson County planner Linda Cable has more than 60 applications on her desk from developers who hope the moratorium won’t apply to them.