The Buncombe County Family Justice Center, where victims of domestic and sexual assault can receive care from a number of partner organizations, may soon be getting a few new housemates. The building at 35 Woodfin St., which has been home to the center for five years, is slated to undergo renovations to allow for seven other county departments to move in if approved by the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners at its meeting July 16.
Joining the FJC in the building would be tax collections, tax assessment, election services, permits and inspections, planning, air quality and environmental health. The FJC would remain in its current footprint in the building, with the addition of a secure adjoining reception area, and security measures would be implemented to keep it independent of other departments, according to a staff presentation. FJC services will not be interrupted during construction.
Staff hopes that combining all of these services in one central location will improve access for residents seeking services while using county building space more efficiently, according to the presentation. Currently, the services are spread all over downtown Asheville in offices from Charlotte Street to Valley Street to Coxe Avenue.
Additionally, the county will move its backup 911 center from the City of Asheville’s Municipal building, which is about to undergo significant renovations, to the building at 35 Woodfin St.
The project, which is slated to cost about $3.8 million, will be partially funded with $2.4 million from the solar on schools and public buildings fund, according to the presentation. Another $1.4 million was already set aside for the renovations.
The moves come after a comprehensive facilities study, completed in April 2021 by CPL Architects, recommended a similar reorganization of departments at the Woodfin Street complex.
Staff recommends commissioners approve Ryse Construction to complete the project. Construction is slated to begin this month and be completed by March, according to the presentation.
County to hold public hearing on Ridgecrest rezoning
After a public hearing July 16, commissioners are scheduled to vote on a proposed rezoning of a 1.78-acre lot on Yates Avenue across Interstate 40 from the Ridgecrest Conference Center in East Buncombe County from conference resort to residential zoning.
The change would lower required setbacks and limit the height of future buildings on the site, which has a septic system and a well but is otherwise undeveloped, according to a staff presentation.
At its meeting June 17, the planning board unanimously recommended the requested zoning change to R-1 zoning, which is primarily intended for single or two-family residential developments, according to the county’s zoning code. The current conference resort zoning is intended for large tourist-related facilities, summer or day camp properties and conference centers, according to the code.
The property is mostly surrounded by single-family residential units, and if the zoning change is made, the planning board found no inconsistencies with the comprehensive plan.
Consent agenda
The consent agenda for the meeting contains four items, which will be approved as a package unless singled out for separate discussion. Included for review are minutes from two previous meetings and a tax collection report showing that the county collected more than 99.7% of billed property taxes as of May 31.
The fourth item is a budget amendment to establish three conservation easements as recommended by the Agricultural Advisory Board. If approved, the county will spend $184,000 to conserve 70 acres on Kestrel Herb Farm and 150 acres on Sandy Hollar Farm, both in Sandy Mush, and another 167 acres in Candler. Funding comes out of the county’s conservation easements fund.
The full agenda and supporting documents for the meeting can be found at this link. There will be a briefing meeting before the regular meeting at 3 p.m. The agenda was not posted as of press time.
In-person public comment will be taken at the start of the regular meeting, which begins at 5 p.m. in Room 326 at 200 College St., Asheville; no voicemail or email comments will be permitted. Both the briefing and the regular meeting will be livestreamed on the county’s Facebook page and be available via YouTube.
It just seems odd that the solution to combining office space is to move numerous functional govt offices into a place where some separation and discretion would be expected based on the services provided by the current tenants.