On Tuesday, Dec. 5, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will conduct a public hearing on the rezoning of more than 760 acres of land owned by Biltmore Farms adjacent to the Pratt & Whitney plant.
Biltmore Farms is requesting the two parcels on each side of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Brevard Road be rezoned from its current residential and commercial service zones to employment zoning, which allows use primarily for office and industrial purposes, storage, warehousing and wholesale trade, according to a staff analysis of the request.
The currently undeveloped parcels are being set aside for a satellite campus for A-B Tech to provide “specialized manufacturing instruction in support of the Pratt and Whitney and future spin-off industry workforce,” according to the analysis.
In other news
Additionally, commissioners will consider approving revisions to the Affordable Housing Services Program’s description, requirements and guidelines, as recommended by the Affordable Housing Committee.
Changes include giving additional preference to projects that provide housing referrals from the Continuum of Care program for households experiencing homelessness. If approved, preference will also be given to projects that include renewable energy systems, install all-electric appliances or participate in utility efficiency programs, according to the program’s documentation.
Commissioners will also hear quarterly reports on the county’s finances from the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2022-23 and the first quarter of the current fiscal year.
Plus, commissioners will consider appointing a new vice chair as well as their meeting schedule for 2024. If approved, the first meeting of 2024 will be Tuesday, January 2.
Consent agenda
The consent agenda for the meeting contains eight items, which will be approved as a package unless singled out for separate discussion. Highlights include the following:
- Approval of a resolution approving an addition of .04 miles to the state highway map on McGee Circle in Fairview so the N.C. Department of Transportation is responsible for maintenance of all .24 miles of the road, all the way to the cul-de-sac. Residents of the road submitted a petition to ensure that the state would continue maintenance of the full road.
- Approval of a budget amendment to accept a $9,000 donation from the Friends of Pack Library to help pay for author Brendan Slocumb’s appearance at the One Book, One Buncombe community event.
- Approval of a resolution transferring ownership of retired canine Boris, a 9-year-old Dutch shepherd, to his handler, corporal Dustin Siske.
The full agenda and supporting documents for the regular meeting can be found at this link. Prior to that meeting, the commissioners will hold a 3 p.m. briefing.
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 will subsequently be available via YouTube.
The Cecils…. cashing in on the multi multi million dollar bridge the NCDOT was so kind to build them at no cost to their new Pratt&Whitney/ go to exit off of I 26. Their 760 acres increased 1000%plus in value with that bridge. Must be nice.
I didn’t know they owned P&W.
I thinking it’s called land planning. Are you suggesting it’s better for the environment to build a second bridge?
I’m for the rezoning because it will spawn another round of letters from the delusional peaceniks. They are the best letters in this publication if you like to read the musing of the naive and clueless. Their average age is so high we want to get as much from them as we can until the inevitable
How about using a mere hundred acres for a shooting range?
The long-existing A-B Tech Enka campus is only a few short miles from Pratt-Whitney. How many A-B Tech facilities are county taxpayers supposed to foot? Isn’t enrollment substantially down at the college over the past several years? Isn’t the college having trouble keeping up with/ paying for facilities maintenance via county allocations as is? Especially with enrollment down and with more online course and credential options, how fully are all of the college’s current facilities being used? Since the college buildings are paid for and maintained with taxpayer dollars where can the plans for the building be found? Where is the public accountability? I would like to see more investigative reporting on these issues.