A clip from the story:

Sometimes it takes nearly three hours to hit the pause button.

On Nov. 13, the Buncombe County Board of Adjustment took two hours and 45 minutes to unanimously vote to postpone until Dec. 11 a hearing on a controversial apartment complex, Crossroads at West Asheville. An overflow crowd of about 125 people attended the meeting in the Buncombe County Administration building — with another 100 watching online in another room — as well as a slew of experts, engineers and county staffers.

While the development company, Catalyst Capital Partners of Charlotte, opposed the continuance, the board postponed the hearing because the plans for the 802-unit complex have changed. Neighbors opposed to the project need more time to consult with expert witnesses and to receive final numbers on traffic impacts.

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The developer is seeking a conditional use permit for the site, planned for 68 acres on South Bear Creek Road near the Malvern Hills neighborhood in West Asheville. Plans call for 802 total living units, mostly apartments, as well as 14,400 square feet of retail space, 50,400 square feet of office space and 64,000 square feet of self-storage.

Bob Oast and Lou Bissette, attorneys for the development company, argued that holding the hearing Nov. 13 was indeed a matter of fairness, in this case to their client. Bissette contended the changes actually lessened the impact of the development, noting that the developer started working on the project about a year ago.

“They met with well over 50 different groups; they met continuously with the DOT and the county,” Bissette said. “During that time, my clients were going out of their way to take public input from neighbors, the DOT, from the city.”

At this point, he was interrupted by jeers from the crowd, with one man shouting, “Tell the truth!” Some in attendance contended they were never notified of a public meeting with the developer.

For the entire story visit the AC-T website at this LINK.

The Board of Trustees of the Friends of Hominy Creek Greenway, Inc. has changed its position regarding the Crossroads at West Asheville development. The board’s new position opposes the current plan to develop the Crossroads at West Asheville development due to its negative impact on Hominy Creek and the Hominy Creek Greenway. 

The original position of the board of trustees did not oppose the project, but expressed concerns regarding various elements of the design and its impact.

Following meetings and correspondence with the developers, FOHCG, Inc. president said the board of trustees altered its stance from concern about the project to opposing the current design.

“There has been no movement by the developers to consider a larger assessment of what a sustainable and progressive residential development might look like on the banks of Hominy Creek. It’s become increasingly clear that the developers perceive the limits of their development is appropriately defined by Buncombe County regulations,” said Tomes. “From a beauty, traffic, and environmental stewardship perspective the regional regulations do not meet a standard to be considered an appropriate baseline for a development with the scope and impact on the surrounding community.”

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Our statement regarding the Crossroads at West Asheville development

The Friends of Hominy Creek Greenway opposes the current plan to develop the Crossroads at West Asheville development due to its negative impact on Hominy Creek and the Hominy Creek Greenway.

We have multiple concerns with the size and scope of the development:

• The overall size and scope of the development will have an impact on the viewshed due to the placement and height of the structures.
• The development is on a unique parcel of land within the Hominy Creek watershed and will impact the water quality due to run off from parking lots and construction.
• An increase in traffic flow in the surrounding neighborhood will impact public safety among pedestrians who use the Hominy Creek Greenway.

The Friends of Hominy Creek Greenway seek the opportunity to work with the developer, the State of North Carolina, Buncombe County, and the City of Asheville to implement the following:

• That the developer repair the eroding stream bank on their property and create a substantial buffer of 50 feet or more consisting of deep-rooted woody plants along Hominy Creek to protect it from runoff and bank erosion; and to mitigate thermal and other water quality impacts from the 40 acres of new impervious surface proposed
• That the developer examine how the size and placement of structures and parking lots will impact the viewshed of users of the Hominy Creek Greenway and adapt their plans to minimize and mitigate the impact on the viewshed.
• That the developer use low-impact construction practices and building techniques to capture and filter stormwater runoff to minimize the impact on Hominy Creek, and to compliment the proposed ponds with additional and more effective water quality treatment.
• That Buncombe County require the developer build a section of greenway with adequate bicycle and pedestrian facilities to connect with existing greenways and pedestrian infrastructure.
• That the developer, Buncombe County and the City of Asheville add and improve pedestrian infrastructure associated with the existing greenway and establish safe bicycle and pedestrian connectivity between the existing and proposed trails. 
• That the State of North Carolina consider improvements to I-240/I-26 access ramps and an additional access ramp at Bear Creek Road and I-240/I-26 to minimize traffic flow onto side streets in the surrounding community. 

Please contact FOHCG Inc. president Bryan Tomes for comment.

CONTACT: Bryan Tomes, 828-772-5542 or bryantomes@yahoo.com

Here are some upcoming meetings regarding the Crossroads Development

Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Meeting

Tuesday, November 5 at 5:00 pm

Room 326, 200 College Street, Asheville

There will be a public comment period at the end of the meeting

 

Buncombe County Board of Adjustment Public Hearing

Wednesday, November  13 at 12:00 pm

Buncombe County Meeting Room

30 Valley Street Asheville

Public comment will be heard regarding the Crossroads development with a 3 minute limit.

A second article about the Crossroads developed was published in the Asheville Citizen-Times on October 9, 2019.

Crossroads at West Asheville Hearing Postponed neighbors cite “flawed system”

At the developer’s request, the Buncombe County Board of Adjustment agreed to postpone a quasi-judicial hearing on a major housing development until the board’s Nov. 13 meeting.

About 20 concerned neighbors had shown up for the noon meeting on Oct. 9 downtown, and they expressed concerns about what they consider a deeply flawed approval process for such a major development. The Buncombe County Planning & Development office received the application for the conditional use permit on Sept. 9, but neighbors said they only heard about the proposal in late September.

The Crossroads at West Asheville, planned for 68 acres on South Bear Creek Road, would comprise 802 total living units, including apartments, vacation rentals and senior housing, according to plans on file with Buncombe County. It would also have 14,400 square feet of retail space, 50,400 square feet of office space and 64,000 square feet of self-storage.

“The whole thing reveals a huge flaw with the zoning ordinance,” said Kate Millar, the incoming president of the Malvern Hills Neighborhood Association. “That the largest (multifamily) development (in Western North Carolina) could get built, with a week’s notice and no oversight except by the Board of Adjustment, it’s crazy.”

Read more here: Crossroads at West Asheville Hearing Postponed

The developers of the Crossroads property have been granted a continuance and will not be on the agenda of the Board of Adjustments meeting on Wednesday October 9. The meeting will not accept comments regarding the development at the October 9 meeting. The next meeting is November 13. We will provide an update if the Crossroads property is on the agenda.