The six “form-based” zoning areas from the new plan for Haywood Road.
After months of preparation, city of Asheville staff and consultants will present a new “form-based” zoning plan for the Haywood Road corridor at a meeting tomorrow night, Thursday, March 27.
The first session starts at 4:30 p.m. at Hall Fletcher Elementary, with a follow-up session beginning at 6 p.m.
Form-bazed zoning regulates based on size, scale and design instead of use, making it more friendly to mixed-use development and, its advocates contend, a more adaptable way of setting predictable rules for an area. The new plan is a very different approach from the city’s previous development rules and, if city officials think it’s a success, could provide a model for overhauling other neighborhoods as well.
After taking input from the public at tomorrow’s meeting and modifying the rules, staff will bring the final plan to Asheville City Council for a vote in June.
In the case of Haywood, the plan calls for dividing it into six zones with varying development and height restrictions. In the “core” zone, for example, rules lean towards historic preservation and buildings can’t exceed two stories in height. By contrast, the “town” zone bordering Patton Avenue encourages denser urban development and allows buildings of up to six stories. Rules covering the whole district are generally intended to make the area more walkable and decrease the amount of curb cuts directly on Haywood.
The zoning is part of a larger effort to shape the future development of the Haywood Road corridor. Last month, Council approved the Haywood Road Vision Plan, the result of a years-long collaboration between West Asheville residents and city staff aimed at setting goals for improving the area for years to come.
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