To the Editor:
Polk County is attempting to enact [amend] an ordinance that goes under the name of ‘Mountainside and Ridgeline Protection Ordinance.’ (MRPO)
Two of the items proposed are;
• Single family residences, only, are allowed above the 1,650 feet elevation
• The reports of a soils engineer and a structural engineer are required for any residential construction above the 2,250 feet elevation.
Are the residents of Saluda expected to endorse this fiasco? All of Saluda lies above the 1,650 feet elevation. It seems that there is at least one Polk County commissioner who is beyond control.
I say this after reading comments by one of the commissioners and listening to the ridiculous statements being made by that same person.
I spent my entire life in the construction field. I have a feel for the expense of engineering reports. Folks who sell out in another area and move into these mountains bring sufficient funds to afford the reports proposed.
The income in this area is somewhat lower than most other areas. Young couples cannot afford the additional cost of these engineering reports for the building of a residence. Is someone in the county commissioners group selling engineering studies? What is the total lack of logic that is driving both of the proposals?
If a young couple who work in Saluda cannot afford the added expense of these proposed engineering, and no multi-family structures are allowed in Saluda, are we to believe that someone in the lower elevations of Polk County needs to rent apartments to struggling young couples so they can spend a good portion of their small income living down the mountain and driving to Saluda daily?
I find no logic or application of common sense in either of the two proposals mentioned. Someone in the county commissioners group is very irresponsible and needs to be taken to task.
Of course the solution to the problem could be to put Saluda in Henderson County. There seems to be a disconnect with the rest of Polk County.
–– Joe Stanley Sr., Saluda