Judge rules on Parkside; Coleman to appeal alone

The public parkland Buncombe County sold to developer Stewart Coleman may not be used for private development, Judge Marlene Hyatt declared in a written ruling released Sept. 15.

Coleman intends to appeal the ruling, his attorney said. But the county, which argued the case along with Coleman’s company, Black Dog Realty, will not appeal. (See county commissioners report elsewhere in this issue.) If the current judgment stands, it puts an end to Coleman’s current plans to build a nine-story, high-end condominium Parkside building partly on the site. He could still build on the adjacent Hayes & Hopson Building site, however.

In the ruling, Hyatt agreed with a lawsuit brought by heirs of George Pack, the philanthropist who gave the land to the county around the turn of the 20th century, that Pack’s original donation constituted a dedication, meaning the land could be used only for certain purposes.

“The defendants are hereby permanently enjoined from allowing the property to be used in any way inconsistent with the dedication,” Hyatt wrote in the ruling.

Although the land remains in Coleman’s possession, he cannot use it for private development. “Neither [the county nor the Pack heirs] gets back the land, but she specified that it can only be used for what George Pack intended—that is, public use,” Pack family attorney Joe Ferikes told Xpress. “I don’t know of anything else he [Coleman] can do with it except leave it as it is.”

Such rulings aren’t that uncommon, he added, citing conservation easements, in which land remains privately owned but can’t be developed.

Nonetheless, Black Dog Realty plans to appeal, Charlotte attorney Pat Kelly told Xpress. “Obviously, we’re disappointed by the ruling, and we think it’s mistaken on a number of grounds. We believe we’ll be successful on appeal.”

The company will be fighting alone, however, as the county commissioners, meeting in closed session Sept. 16, decided they were done with the lawsuit.

“The Buncombe County commissioners have decided not to appeal the decision of Judge Marlene Hyatt prohibiting the private use of the property the county sold adjacent to the Hayes & Hopson Building in downtown Asheville,” a Sept. 17 county press release states. It goes on to quote Commissioner David Young, who said, “We appreciate the citizens’ love of this park space and will move on with addressing the many other issues facing the county and its citizens.”
To view documents related to the Parkside controversy, including Judge Hyatt’s ruling, go to www.mountainx.com/xpressfiles.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

3 thoughts on “Judge rules on Parkside; Coleman to appeal alone

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.