Friends of the Hominy Creek Greenway raise concerns about proposed development

Statement from the Friends of the Hominy Creek Greenway: 

The proposal has been changed after strong opposition from the surrounding community. The new proposal eliminates previously proposed retail space and lowers the amount of proposed residential units to 660. 

Catalyst Capital Partners are hosting a virtual public meeting this Tuesday evening, 9/29/20 at 5:30. Visit FOHCG.ORG for details. 

The Friends of Hominy Creek Greenway has concerns about the scope and impact of the development on Hominy Creek and the Hominy Creek Greenway.

• Our organization’s mission is to protect the 14-acre community green space and City of Asheville park we have managed and been the stewards of since 2011.   

• 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 and erosion due to run off from parking lots and construction.
• Construction is extended into the floodplain to allow for as much development as possible. Building on a historic bend of a river that has flooded catastrophically in the past (and will again) and is adjacent to the Greenway and our neighbors needs to be examined closely. 

• 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 repairs the eroding stream bank on their property and create a substantial buffer of woody plants along Hominy Creek to protect it from runoff and other impacts during and after construction of the development. 

• That the developer provides drawings/images to scale that show how the size and placement of structures and parking lots will impact the viewshed of users of the Hominy Creek Greenway and adapt to minimize 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.
• That Buncombe County require the developer build a section of greenway that is open to the public and require it to connect to existing greenways/pedestrian thoroughfares. 
• That Buncombe County and the City of Asheville commit to add and improve pedestrian infrastructure to accommodate the potential increase in use of the Hominy Creek Greenway by the residents of the development and members of the community surrounding the Hominy Creek Greenway including sidewalks, traffic control, and transit connections.

• That the State of North Carolina requires 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. 

The following documents about the development are included below: