In fairness, the Enterprise’s Nick Maheras singlehandedly reports that a couple of High Point officials aren’t exactly buying into the Heart of the Triad.

Turns out that High Point and Kernersville were able to negotiate a sewer extension into undeveloped land along Interstate 40 just fine without HOT. So it’s not exactly clear what HOT could do better:

Councilman Latimer Alexan­der said the vision lacks two cru­cial components of development in the Heart of the Triad area.

“They (proponents) have some type of vision that they want to see the property devel­oped, but, No. 1, they don’t own any land and, No. 2, they don’t have any control over land use,” he said. “Most of the time, infrastructure drives develop­ment, and those who control infrastructure (water and sew­er, utilities, transportation) de­cide on the land use.”

Mayor Becky Smothers noted the proposal has not been fund­ed by the General Assembly and the committee resolution needs to be “re-crafted.”

“We need to be very careful about land uses,” she said. “We need to all work together, but that’s (development and infra­structure) a local government responsibility.”

Smothers also said High Point and Kernersville were working on an annexation and land-use agreement long before the Heart of the Triad came along.

“If anything, the Heart of the Triad infringes on the High Point-Kernersville agree­ment,” she said. Local government officials were elected to handle land-use matters, Alexander said.

“Why would the city of High Point extend 16,000 feet of sewer line and then ask oth­ers what they think about it?” he said. “Whoever gets there to provide the infrastructure will make the land use decisions (alone).”

Remember, too, that PTIA board member Walt Cockerham expressed similar concerns about HOT interfering with deals already in the works.