CRLU formed to address concerns about development on the steep slopes of Elk Mountain above the Sherwood Heights and Lakeview Park neighborhoods. Please see our Primary Concerns pages for more details.
From our bylaws:
The purposes of the organization are: (i) to educate the public on the costs of developing steep slopes; (ii) to prevent any developer from building on at-risk steep slope property, as defined by CRLU, by any legal means available; and (iii) if failing to prevent development, to ameliorate the negative impacts of such development by any legal means available.
Woodfin’s Steep Slope ordinance spells out the reasons that steep slopes should receive special protections. The following is from the Purpose section of the ordinance:
Sec. 40-1. - Purpose.
The purpose of this section is to regulate development in steep slope areas in order to preserve the Town of Woodfin's unique character, conserve the public health, safety and general welfare and to promote environmentally sound design and planning in accordance with the following objectives:
• To protect life and property from all potentially hazardous conditions particular to steep slopes, e.g., rock falls, flash flooding, debris flows, mud slides and increased wildfire hazard.
• To preserve and enhance the scenic and environmental resources of the landscape by encouraging the maximum retention of prominent natural topographic features, i.e., drainage swales, streams, slopes, ridgelines, rock outcroppings, vistas, natural plant formations, and trees.
• To encourage innovative site and architectural design and planning in order for the development to adapt to the natural terrain and be harmonious with the character of the area.
• To minimize grading and cut and fill operations inconsistent with the retention of the natural character of the hillside.
• To preserve where possible, natural streams, ponds and associated riparian vegetation.
• To require the retention of trees and other vegetation to stabilize steep hillsides, retain moisture, prevent erosion and enhance the natural scenic beauty.
• To encourage the retention of trees and other vegetation throughout the site instead of just the periphery of the development.
• To encourage minimal grading which relates to the natural contour of the land, thus rounding off sharp angles at the top and bottom of cut and fill slopes in a natural manner.
• To provide land use densities to promote the best possible development of hillside areas in order to retain significant natural features and to preserve slope stability.
• To encourage road design that follows the natural topography wherever possible in order to minimize grading.
• To preserve predominant views from and of the hillside areas in order to retain the sense of identity and imagery that the hills and mountains now impart to the Town of Woodfin.
(Ord. of 6-21-2022(1))