An article in the Smoky Mountain News describes some problems with Jackson County’s steep slope ordinance. It is technical, requiring surveys and calculations, but it is hazy on definitions, leaving interpretation to a review board. That’s fine for some, but not good enough for others who harbor the usual complaint that the ordinance prevented some people from building their dream homes on land they purchased for that purpose.

In three years, the county hasn’t had much material to test anything but the ridgetop part of its steep slope ordinance. Property rights advocates claim the county’s moratorium on new subdivisions prior to enactment of the ordinance brought a building slump to Jackson County prior to the rest of the country.