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Editor’s Note: The sender has address this to county commissioners:

Stanly County: “A place to visit, a place to live, a place to love,” so the signs say.

My husband and I came from Charlotte, just a few blocks from CMC Main Hospital, 17 years ago, to search for the land that we believed we were called to buy and to protect forever.

Elaine Hollins, Century 21, found the acreage that we believed was “calling” us. We moved to the land, put it under conservation easement with Three Rivers Land Trust and have never looked back.

Our family’s message to you now is: Stop, stop, stop the developmental sprawl that is creeping inexorably to this beautiful land.

Do not allow any uncaring developers to cut down every living tree and plant and level the lovely hills of this land anywhere and everywhere without a care for the land and the creatures that live there and for you and me to have to see every day like Charlotte — sprawling housing and buildings taking over almost every bit of green space.

Yes, we must have more housing as the population increases. Yes, we realize that some families believe they have no other choice but to sell their land to developers, but there are ways to build and develop that do not destroy and level those lovely hills that rob you and me of its rural beauty.

Some years ago, Ron and I founded Friends of the Land of Stanly County when we saw that little was happening to preserve our rural scenic beauty of life.

We brought in nationally renowned architect Randall Arendt to speak to people from Stanly and surrounding counties to show us the very best way to both provide housing and to preserve our lands.

Instead of building houses all over 100-200 acres, build them onto a small area, leaving the rest for all the green life and critters to live there together with the families to enjoy.

That type housing value is known to increase.

Now you have more housing and are preserving the rural landscape for everyone.

It’s a win, win, win.

Let’s not drive through our beloved county to endless sprawl like Charlotte and like some of the new developments right here already.

Protect our county’s land now, before it’s too late.

NOTE: We have just now learned from that the Council of Governments plans to educate our region’s leaders and developers about preserving open space they call “conservation subdivisions.”

Our current commissioners have received the idea positively.

There will be further discussions and presentations soon — not a moment too soon.

Nancy Bryant
Norwood