Riverwalk residents petition over construction traffic; developer, town say covenants don’t bar use of Cullasaja Drive

Residents near the Riverwalk subdivision pressed the Highlands Board of Commissioners on June 19 about construction traffic using the Cullasaja Drive “back gate,” saying the activity is a safety and nuisance problem for nearby neighborhoods.

At a public-comment segment, resident Gretchen Chitzy said she had gathered roughly 50 signatures for a petition and described recurring problems with speeding and construction vehicles using the back gate that connects Riverwalk to Cullasaja Drive. Chitzy asked whether the developer could be required to stop using that egress for construction traffic.

Developer Dustin Hirschfeld, who identified himself as the current owner and general contractor at Riverwalk, told the board he reviewed the subdivision’s 2005 minutes and the planning-board recommendations. He said the planning board had…