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Public raises Opportunity Zone and farmland preservation concerns as commissioners weigh state legislative priorities
Summary
Public commenters urged clearer engagement on Opportunity Zone nominations and warned against caps on conservation easements; commissioners discussed NCACC legislative goals including unfunded mandates, local revenue restrictions and occupancy tax uses, and Commissioner Jake Dalton pushed back on data-center rumors.
Multiple public speakers at Transylvania County’s June 8 meeting urged the Board to improve public engagement on economic development and conservation policy while the Board discussed priorities for the 2027 state legislative session.
Resident Owen Carson asked how the Board developed its list of 21 legislative priorities and whether the public had meaningful opportunities to comment before those priorities were set. He warned that a proposed cap on acreage eligible for conservation easements could conflict with local property-rights preferences and the County’s conservation goals, and he urged continued support for farmland preservation and for Blue Ridge Community College’s workforce programs.
Clark Lovelace, executive director of the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority, updated the Board on an ongoing state-level review of how occupancy-tax revenues may be interpreted and spent, saying that rules evolved in 1997 and that a current interpretation issue is under review and may be clarified in coming months. He also offered condolences on the recent passing of community member Tim Gafnea.
Commissioner Jake Dalton responded to questions and provided clarifications: he said Opportunity Zones are assigned by the state and counties have limited ability to choose designations; the county has previously invested tens of millions in infrastructure along the U.S. 64 corridor to support future development; and prior county efforts included a shared state farmland-preservation grant with Henderson County. On data-center speculation, Dalton said claims about "large AI data center projects" in Transylvania County are unfounded, citing utility-capacity constraints and terrain, and he distinguished those from smaller data facilities used by the county and local institutions.
No formal Board action was taken on these matters; staff requested continued discussion on NCACC legislative goals and asked for final direction by July 13 to meet submission deadlines.
