As they pondered a 162-unit development at Thoms Estate North Asheville last night, Asheville City Council noted similarities to another project reported in this week’s Mountain Xpress (see “Go Tell it on the Mountain”). The 65-acre subdivision going up on Beaucatcher Mountain bypassed council review, as it conformed to the Technical Review Committee’s subdivision ordinance.
With another development looming, and the developer threatening to make a similar move if Council refuses a rezoning request, Council members spoke up on the Beaucatcher Heights construction that has riled Kenilworth neighbors into calling for the city to reform its development ordinances:
• “While what happened in Kenilworth is not the doing of Council, it does frighten me.” — Vice Mayor Holly Jones
• “There’s going to be a subdivision that’s going to be devastating on that mountain.” — Council member Jan Davis
• “We get pushed out of the loop when it comes to subdivisions.” — Council member Robin Cape
Meanwhile, Mayor Terry Bellamy noted that the subdivision rules were put in place when the city had different development priorities than it has today. The Thoms Estate development was tabled by Council, and it remains to be seen how the developer will respond. Look for full coverage of the meeting in the Feb. 21 Xpress.
Now more than ever, the question is out there: Does City Council need increased review power over subdivisions?
— Brian Postelle, staff writer
It seems to me that Kenilworth has become the poster child for “development we missed the ball on” for Council. They all want absolution for their oversight, but I don’t see any Council members taking a long hard look to see if TRC or staff did their job correctly.
Let’s face it, in Ashville only one neighborhood gets ongoing representation by Council… Downtown. Council can spend years on what to do with the Civic Center, downtown parking or drum circles and not feel the footsteps of the out of town developers as they overrun residential neighborhoods. Is it coincidence that they are targeting Asheville? I think not.
The City Council passes on many things, some small, some large, but the glories of Beaucather Ridge will, if not curtailed, show that not only does the city need a logging code within its hallowed ground, it needs control over subdivisions, too.
The residents of Kenilworth–who have paid millions of dollars in property taxes since joining the city alomst a century ago–were denied the right that every citizen of Washington has, the right to lobby before the City Council! And don’t suggest showing up and trying to make points at a Technical Review Committee (TRC) meeting; these men of the TRC have tunnel vision and never listen to the audience at one of their salutes to development, they just give the plat an OK. If something is wrong–like a homesite sitting twenty feet above a gulley–the developer simply says, “We’ll fix that before the next review,” and everybody goes home happy!
They’re moving to Asheville in droves only to find a few years down the line, that the beauty they wanted is gone and it’s now all a retirement slum! Talk about killing the goose . . .