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It was inspirational, but a bit sad, to sit there and listen to citizens express their fears and offer their resistance to a proposed 56-lot housing development in what is essentially downtown Columbus.

It’s sad because despite the fact that many people turned out to oppose the development, the first of its kind here, the reality is they won’t be able to stop it or allay their fears that it will harm their quality of life.

At the same time, it was inspirational because various elements of democracy were playing out here in small-town America.

The number one topic on the local planning board’s meeting agenda was a proposal by Quartz Properties, a modular home construction company. Quartz, born after the pandemic and at the start of America’s home-building explosion, is based in Newton, Massachusetts. A bit of irony: Newton, a suburb of Boston, is one of the nation’s wealthiest small cities. The average home in Newton costs $1.4 million. In Columbus, it’s about $390,000.

The modular homes Quartz plans to build on 40 acres behind CVS will be priced between $350,000 and $450,000. Although the area needs affordable housing, the Quartz homes will not be in that category.

The speakers who went to the microphone to question the builder’s two representatives as well as members of the planning board were thoroughly civil. They had nearly filled the audience chamber where the County Commission regularly presides, a testament to their commitment to show up and be counted.

The county manager was there to make sure the audio system for the board and the audience was operating, but despite his best efforts to show each board member their individual microphone, most were never able to grasp the importance of using it so that they might be heard. That prompted one citizen to say, “What are you afraid of?” But even he didn’t shout.

Our local reporter, Storme Smith, was there to play his vital role in democracy–taking note of all that was said and writing a balanced news story for the next edition of the Tryon Daily Bulletin.

Afterwards, the crowd left the building in an orderly and quiet fashion, forming small clusters in the parking area, sometimes in the middle of the street, to share opinions on what had happened and what might be the next steps they could take in this process.

It’s impossible not to admire their commitment to protecting Columbus and a way of life that doubtless is the epitome of the best small towns. Someone in the audience, in a heartfelt gesture, actually described it as Mayberry. Columbus isn’t Mayberry. Or Tryon. But it’s their country town. It belongs to them.

As an observer, it was hard not to be struck by reality in the room. Smith’s story held the key to what will happen. He wrote: “The Quartz team expressed willingness to accommodate the board’s suggested changes and reassured the members that all laws and codes would be followed.”

When I spoke with Jay Harvey, Quartz Properties’ director of land acquisition and development, in the hallway after the hearing, I asked if he had seen or heard anything that might make him wonder whether the project would fly.

“Not at all. Our goal is to follow the town’s rules, and they have to allow it,” he said. “We have to listen to the community, and we are. Not my first rodeo.”

Larry McDermott is a local retired farmer/journalist. Reach him at hardscrabblehollow@gmail.com