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.”
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