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Beneficial Growth
Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: June 2023
The Historic Toxaway Foundation has an ambitious task built into its DNA – to preserve the beauty and overwhelmingly upbeat spirit and hospitality of this beautiful stretch of land.
Last year, we outlined how the dynamic Historic Toxaway Foundation has been promoting the Toxaway-Sapphire community.
We’ve spotlighted this stretch of land’s rich history and recounted Historic Toxaway’s efforts to ensure that this era of growth benefits everyone in the community (which stretches from Rosman all the way to the eastern edge of Cashiers), and its strategies for ensuring that the region’s future is as straightforward as its roads are curvy.
Since we’re in the midst of a very busy Busy Season, we thought it was time to check in with Foundation Board Member Nory LeBrun and learn about its progress and possibilities.
“The BAUT (Business Alliance of Upper Transylvania County) continues to be one of the primary efforts of the Historic Toxaway Foundation, now with 116 Members,” he says. “The BAUT is fully supported by the Foundation and that support manifests itself in the Red Feather Guide (a digital weekly guide) and is distributed updating locals and visitors on events, state parks, hiking areas, and businesses, categorized per Eat, Stay, Shop, Play. It has 1,000 subscribers, and 2,000 combined HTF/ BAUT social media followers; and we put out a printed Visitors Guide, distributed twice during the season, with the same categories as above.”
That’s a lot of responsibility, but over the foundation’s five years, it’s scored some remarkable successes – ensuring that its voice is heard on the Brevard/ Transylvania Chamber of Commerce, the Housing Assistance Corporation (which works on the challenges of Work-Force and Affordable Housing), the Transylvania Schools System, the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority.
The Foundation continues to work with the Developers of “Longcliff Village,” the 106-acre mixed-use development surrounding and including the existing 45-acre Conservation Easement, and working with NALT (North American Land Trust, the Holder of the Easement), is working with two regional trail builders to refine the trail system, plan for the construction of outdoor education facilities and interpretive signage, as well as viewing areas of creeks and waterfalls.
HTF is also working to promote a growing and becoming more year-round restaurant, hospitality, music scene – the Grand Olde Station, The Greystone Inn, Los Vacqueros, Headwaters Outfitters, Hidden Valley, and Earthshine are just a few.
Visit historictoxaway.org to learn more about the Historic Toxaway Foundation or BAUT, or become a member.
