Notice to NC Attorney General and Other Notified Officials
From: Concerned Residents of Upper Crabtree, Bald Creek, and the Mount Soma Development
Subject: Persistent Infrastructure, Environmental, and Governance Failures at Mount Soma (Sri Somesvara Temple Complex)

Overview
Since at least 2020, residents and neighbors of the Mount Soma development have reported serious problems with unmet community services, environmental hazards, and public-safety risks. These concerns are documented in a petition signed by nearly 400 local residents (with roughly 100 additional paper signatures) and in statements made at Haywood County commissioners’ meetings, Buncombe County Environmental Health records, and other public forums.

Community Services Not Delivered
Common Facilities – Homeowners state that buildings marketed as “community centers” function almost exclusively for temple visitors, not resident gatherings.

Rental Restrictions – Residents report that while they are barred from short-term rentals, the temple advertises and rents lodging on the property to visitors, creating an uneven application of rules.

Road and Grounds Upkeep – Numerous residents and former employees have said that private roads remain in disrepair and that routine mowing, pothole repair, and winter maintenance are sporadic, despite collection of HOA or road-maintenance fees.

Arbitrary Fines and Limited Financial Disclosure – Owners describe fines issued without clear standards and an absence of regular, independent accounting of collected fees, contrary to expectations set in the covenants.

Financial Transparency and Use of Funds
Hurricane-Relief Donations – Residents recall that at least $21,000 was collected from visitors after a major storm for "road repair"; they say little evidence exists that these funds were applied to the roads. While the bridge to access the temple was washed out, visitor assumption appeared to be these funds were to repair that bridge and roads from Hurricane Helene in the national news, drawing a spike in donations. No temple representative reached out to the local community for some use of funds and personally donated lands. In fact the exorbitant temple traffic has created an unsafe additional load on the (still as of the time of this writing) temporary access.

HOA Accounting – Court records appear to show that when one homeowner sought a formal accounting, management refused and instead restricted her access to common facilities.

Infrastructure and Environmental Hazards
Traffic Volume – Petitioners estimate 70,000 vehicle trips a year—far beyond the original projections—causing accelerated road wear, congestion, and emergency-access concerns.

Septic and Water Quality – Buncombe County Environmental Health has required repairs to Mount Soma’s septic and leach-field systems. Downstream residents continue to document sewage odors and water contamination indicators and have provided test results to county and state agencies.

Public Safety and Trespass
Residents report frequent trespassing by visitors, including entry onto private property, roadside parking on blind curves, and littering. Haywood County officials have received public testimony on these incidents.

Governance and Leadership
Residents state that decision-making and financial control remain concentrated with the original developer and associated entities, leaving homeowners with little practical ability to enforce covenants or obtain independent audits.
Requested Action
Petitioners respectfully request that state and county authorities:

• Conduct a formal environmental investigation of septic capacity and watershed impacts.
• Review compliance with all zoning, traffic, and infrastructure requirements and consider limits on tourist traffic if warranted- 35 vehicles a day deemed acceptable
• Require transparent, independent financial reporting for all HOA and road-maintenance funds.