Two weeks after Asheville City Council voted 5-2 against the conditional rezoning for a proposed housing development at 363 Hilliard Ave., the project will be back up for consideration at Council’s meeting of Tuesday, March 8.
Typically, zoning decisions require a one-year waiting period before a new application for the same property can come before Council. But according to Asheville City Attorney Brad Branham, Asheville City Council rules of procedure allow its members to vote to reconsider any previous action they took, so long as that motion is made at the same meeting as the original vote or the next successive session.
As presented on Feb. 22, the conditional rezoning of properties located at 363 Hilliard Ave. would have allowed for the construction of one five-story mixed-use building and one three-story residential building, which would contain a total of 187 new residential units and 204 off-street parking spaces. Five percent of the units would have been offered at 80% area median income ($42,100 for a single person, $60,100 for a family of four) for 20 years, and housing choice vouchers would have been accepted for five of those units. Council members Sandra Kilgore and Antanette Mosley voted in favor of the rezoning, but none of the members of Council shared their rationales for their vote during the meeting.
According to a staff report, the updated proposal increases the number of units offered at 80% AMI from 5% to 10%, as well as the number of units that would accept housing vouchers from five to nine. The updated project also includes a condition that the development will comply with any additional traffic mitigation requirements mandated by the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Council members must first have a majority vote to reconsider their Feb. 22 decision before considering the development’s updated proposal.
In other news
Prior to the meeting, Council will hold a work session on the city’s open space standards beginning at 2:30 p.m. The work session is open to the public; however, public comment will not be accepted.
Council is also slated to appoint its first members to the city’s Reparations Commission. The commission will comprise 25 members: 15 commission members will be nominated by people from historically impacted neighborhoods, including public housing and historically Black neighborhoods; the remaining members will be appointed by Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners.
Consent agenda
The consent agenda for the meeting contains six items, which will be approved as a package unless singled out for separate discussion. Highlights include the following:
- A resolution authorizing City Manager Debra Campbell to execute up to a $188,900 contract with Patton Construction Group Inc. for the Weaver Park Bridge Project. The project will demolish the existing pedestrian bridge, which was built in the 1970s, and install a new bridge and connector pathways.
- A resolution authorizing City Manager Campbell to execute a $190,000 contract with Asheville-based landscaping company Wilde Acre, Inc., for mowing and maintenance of Asheville’s 15 parks and greenway properties.
- A resolution authorizing City Manager Campbell to accept a $67,000 donation from the Haw Creek Community Association for the construction of a parking lot and trailhead kiosk at Masters Park at 101 Maple Dr.
Access and public comment
Asheville City Council meets in-person starting at 5 p.m. in Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville Banquet Hall, 87 Haywood St. Attendees are no longer required to wear face coverings in city of Asheville buildings but are “highly encouraged” to wear them during the meeting, according to a March 4 press release.
Members of the public wishing to speak live will be required to attend in-person and sign up at the meeting. Live remote public comment will not be accepted. Voicemail messages can be left at 855-925-2801, meeting code 6431; written comments can be sent to AshevilleCityCouncilMar082022@publicinput.com. Comments must be submitted no later than 9 a.m., Tuesday, March 8.
For those who choose not to attend in person, the meeting will be livestreamed through Asheville’s public engagement hub and on the city’s YouTube channel. Members of the public can also listen live by calling 855-925-280, meeting code 6431.
The full meeting agenda and supporting documents can be found here.
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