TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1: Introduction Page
Introduction 1
General Purpose of the Plan 2
Mission Statement of the Henderson County Board of Commissioners 2
Key Principles of Growth 2
How this Plan Should Be Used 6
The Planning Process 6
Section 2: Background Information
A Brief History of Henderson County 9
Public Input Summary 15
Population Trends 21
Economic Trends 29
Land Use Trends 37
Factors Influencing Growth 43
Section 3: 2020 Plan for Henderson County Page
Economic Development Element 59
Agriculture Element 67
Natural Resources Element 75
Recreation Element 87
Housing Element 97
Transportation Element 111
Sewer and Water Element 115
Public Schools Element 121
Growth Management Strategy 125
Section 4: Implementation
Community Planning Framework 141
Section 5: Appendices
Appendix I: Maps
Maps numbered as chronologically referenced in the Plan.
01) Township Growth 1990-2000
02) Floodplains and Floodways
03) Percent Slope
04) General Soil Map
05) Current General Land Use
06) Current General Land Use I-26 Corridor
07) Agricultural Districts
08) “Committee of 100” Recommended Industrial Development Zones
09) Sensitive Natural Areas
10) Water Service Areas
11) Sewer Service Areas and Districts
12) Transportation
13) Educational Facilities and Libraries
14) National Historic Sites and Districts
15) Cemeteries
16) Public Parks, Recreation Sites, and Proposed Greenways
17) Current County Zoning
18) Current County Zoning Inset
19) Geographic Distribution of Housing
20) Growth Management Strategy
21) Urban Services Area with Septic Concern Areas, Recommended Industrial Development Zones, Sewer Service, and Structural Density
22) Urban Services Area with Sewer Service Areas
23) Structures in Flood-Prone Areas
24) Future Land Use
25) Village of Flat Rock 1998 Land Use Plan, as Amended
26) Town of Fletcher 1993 Land Use Plan, as Amended
27) Town of Laurel Park 1988 Land Use Plan
28) Saluda Future Land Use
29) City of Hendersonville 1974 Land Development Plan, as Amended
30) City of Hendersonville Annexation Area of Consideration
31) Geographic Distribution of Structure Development 1970-2003
32) Residential Density
33) Community Planning Areas
Appendix II: Public Input Page
Citizen Survey Summary 1
Community Meeting Summary 6
Community Meeting Coverage Areas 14
County Comprehensive Plan Public Meeting Dates and Locations 15
Latino Community Meeting Summary 16
Agricultural Community Meeting Summary 21
Planning for 2002 Recreation Forum, February 1992 24
Appendix III: Other Documents
Proposed Industrial Site Criteria, Committee of 100 of the Greater
Hendersonville Chamber of Commerce 1
Existing Agriculture Organizations and Programs 2
Henderson County Comprehensive Plan Community Committee 6
Cemeteries in Henderson County as of 2004 7
Early Action Compact (EAC) Plan Elements for Henderson County
Future Projects 8
Public Parks in Henderson County 9
Housing Affordability Analysis 11
Public Educational Facilities 18
Recreation / Greenway Funding Opportunities 19
Appendix IV: Glossary
Planning and Zoning Terms 1
Current Land Use Definitions 11
Appendix V: References
References 1
List of Figures Page
Section 2: Background Data
A Brief History (B)
B.1 Henderson County Municipalities 13
Public Input (PI)
PI.1 Five Elements of Public Input 15
PI.2 Primary Categories of Public Input 17
PI.3 Top 20 Summary Comments 17
Population Trends (PT)
PT.1 Henderson County Population 1970-2000 21
PT.2 Henderson County Population Trends 21
PT.3 Regional Comparison of Population Increases 1990-2000 22
PT.4 County Population with Growth and Migration 1990-2000 22
PT.5 Municipal Population 1970-2000 23
PT.6 Henderson County Township Population 1970-2000 23
PT.7 Age Cohorts 1970-2000 24
PT.8 Aggregate Age Cohorts 1990-2000 25
PT.9 Racial Composition 1970-2000 25
PT.10 Gender Composition 2000 26
PT.11 Gender Comparisons 1970-2000 26
PT.12 Henderson County Population Projections 2000-2020 27
PT.13 US Census Projected Population for Henderson County 27
Economic Trends (ET)
ET.1 Henderson County Income Characteristics 1970 – 2000 29
ET.2 Henderson County Family Income Characteristics 1970 – 2000 30
ET.3 Average Unemployment Trends 30
ET.4 Henderson County Employment Characteristics 1990-2002 31
ET.5 Henderson County Employment by Industry 1970 – 2000 32
ET.6 Percentage Employment by Industry 2000 33
ET.7 Trip Activities North Carolina vs. Mountain Region 1999 34
ET.8 NC County Tourism Summary Statistics 2002 35
ET.9 Average Annual Wage by Industry 1999 36
Land Use Trends and Patterns (LU)
LU.1 Average Parcel Area, 1997 and 2003 (acres) 37
LU.2 Parcels by Township, 1997 and 2003 38
LU.3 Construction Trends by Decade, 1970-2003 39
LU.4 Structures by Township, 1970-2003 40
LU.5 Canopy Cover Assessment, 1992 and 2001 (acres) 41
LU.6 Current and Historic Land Use by Type 41
LU.7 Land in Farms (acres) 42
Factors Influencing Growth (F)
F.1 Floodplain Diagram 44
F.2 Current Land Use 46
F.3 Land Use Composition by Township in Acres 47
F.4 Land Use Composition by Township as a Percentage of Township Acreage 47
F.5 Publicly Owned Lands 51
F.6 Ownership of Public Lands 51
F.7 Public Primary and Secondary Schools 54
F.8 Private Primary and Secondary Schools 54
Section 3: 2020 Plan for Henderson County
Economic Development Element (E)
E.1 Designing Our Future Ballot Results, Economy 60
Natural Resources Element (N)
N.1 Floodplain Summary by Jurisdictional Status 76
N.2 Floodplain by Jurisdiction 76
N.3 100-Year Floodplain Vulnerability by Jurisdiction 77
Recreation Element (R)
R.1 Countywide Public Recreational Acreage 89
R.2 Existing Recreational Facilities & Population 89
Housing Element (H)
H.1 Designing Our Future Ballot Results, Housing 97
H.2 Housing Units 1970 - 2000 98
H.3 Projected Number of Future Housing Units 99
H.4 Types of Housing Units in Henderson County 99
H.5 Owner-Occupied and Renter-Occupied Housing Units in Henderson
County 100
H.6 Residential Type as a Percentage of Total Residential Units Built 102
H.7 Current County Zoning and Manufactured Homes 103
H.8 Age of Manufactured Home Stock 104
H.9. Age of Housing Units in Henderson County 107
H.10 Age of Housing Units in City of Hendersonville 108
H.11 Age & Type of Existing Housing Units in Henderson County 108
Section 4: Implementation
Community Planning Framework (CP)
CP.1 Major Planning Initiatives 143
CP.2 CCP Implementation Timeline 147
CP.3 Implementation Schedule Master Summary 148
CP.4 Phases I & II Estimated Implementation Resources / Funding 156
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