Development roundup: South Slope Vision Plan up for review

Coxe Avenue redesign
VISION OF THE FUTURE: Coxe Avenue may be redesigned as a “green Main Street” as part of a city plan for the South Slope. The plan will be up for review at this month’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. Rendering courtesy of the city of Asheville

City of Asheville

The public will be able to provide input on a neighborhood plan, a hotel proposal and two zoning map amendments at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 6, which will take place in person at City Hall’s first-floor North Conference Room at 70 Court Plaza. A pre-meeting of the same body to review the agenda, which is open to the public but does not allow public comment, will be held at 4:30 p.m. in the fifth-floor Large Conference Room.

The Design Review Committee will meet virtually at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, July 21. The agenda for that meeting was not available as of press time.

Additionally, the DRC will begin holding a 15-minute pre-meeting prior to its regular start time. This pre-meeting will be open to the public but will not allow for public comment. Both pre-meetings and meetings can be viewed on the city’s YouTube channel at avl.mx/6h6.

Planning and Zoning Commission

Members of the public can submit comments over email and voicemail until 24 hours prior to the meeting or provide in-person comment during the meeting itself. Instructions on how to attend and comment, as well as the full meeting agenda, are available at avl.mx/8b6.

South Slope: A Neighborhood Vision Plan Review

The city’s Planning & Urban Design and Community and Economic Development departments have requested the review of a 92-page development plan for the South Slope neighborhood. The Planning and Zoning will issue a recommendation on the plan, with Asheville City Council having the final say.

The plan contains 10 key initiatives, including a gateway to reconnect McCormick Field and Memorial Stadium with downtown, public art installations, commemoration of the neighborhood’s African American history, affordable housing and transforming Coxe Avenue into a tree-lined “green Main Street” with improved stormwater drainage, native vegetation and solar lights.

According to the draft, most of the plan was developed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 racial justice activism that led to the city’s reparations resolution. “This plan is a long-range plan. There are concepts which may not happen for years to come or may not happen at all, but the strategies and goals around a strong economy, housing and inclusion are more important than ever,” the document’s authors say regarding its continued relevance.

Further information, including the plan draft, is available at avl.mx/bqc.

221 Long Shoals Road, 28704

Indianapolis-based developer Millstone Ventures LLC and a group of Asheville property owners — including former Asheville Mayor Charles R. Worley — request a zoning change from CB II (Community Business II) to RES EXP – CZ (Residential Expansion – Conditional Zone) to construct a 186-unit multifamily development over three buildings on 5.36 acres.

The current plans include 37 units designated as affordable for those making 80% or less of the area median income ($45,000 for an individual or $64,250 for a family of four) for 20 years, or 20% of the total. Of those affordable units, 19 will accept housing vouchers.

Detailed project documents can be found at avl.mx/bqd.

Woodland Development (100 Woodland Drive, 28806)

Asheville-based Birch Circle Associates LLC requests a conditional rezoning from RM-8 (Residential Multifamily) to RES EXP – CZ to build a 72-unit development on 9.12 acres. Available documents do not indicate that any of the townhome-style rental units will be designated as affordable.

Detailed project documents can be found at avl.mx/bqb.

Create 72 Broadway (72 Broadway, 28801)

The commission will review the Level II site plan for Create 72 Broadway, a proposed nine-story mixed-use building. The plan includes a 22-unit hotel, 18 condo units and 2,002 square feet of ground level retail space across nearly 100,000 total square feet. BPR Asheville LLC is the owner.

As a Level II project, the work will not need approval from Asheville City Council. A prior proposal for the site, which would have built 137 hotel rooms and 37 residential units, was unanimously denied by Council members in September 2019.

Detailed project documents can be found at avl.mx/bqe.

Buncombe County

Four projects requiring special use permits, a rezoning and a road variance will be on the agenda for the Buncombe County Board of Adjustment meeting at noon Wednesday, July 13. The in-person meeting will take place at the Board of Commissioners Chambers, 200 College St.

Information on how to attend the meeting and apply for comment can be found at avl.mx/anq. Xpress is highlighting four projects of particular community impact.

Board of Adjustment

Brevard Road Apartments SUP (1754 Brevard Road, 4 and 6 Atrium Trail, Avery Creek Township)

Carmel, Ind.-based Oscar Land Acquisitions LLC, Arden property owner Charles B. Lytle and Wyoming-based property owner Ernest Anthony Lytle request a SUP to build a 244-unit multifamily apartment complex on 22.06 acres. The complex will include 10 residential buildings, a clubhouse, pool, playground and dog park. The plan also includes a maintenance building and four parking garages. The proposed density is 11.1 units per acre.

Detailed project documents are available at avl.mx/bqa.

Carolina Ready Mix & Builders Supply SUP (1186 Smokey Park Highway, Lower Hominy Township)

Alabama-based property owner Vulcan Materials and Swannanoa-based Carolina Ready Mix and Builders Supply, LLC request a SUP to build a concrete plant on 2.9 acres within a 138-acre site currently in use as a quarry. Carolina Ready Mix will lease the lot from Vulcan Materials. The company employs over 50 people across Buncombe, Madison and Henderson counties at three locations.

Detailed project documents are available at avl.mx/bq9.

Clayton Crossing SUP (642 Long Shoals Road, Arden, 28704)

Greenville, S.C.-based developer Deep River South Development and Skyland-based property owners Michael David Brown and David Craig Brown request a SUP to build 70 units of multifamily housing and 14 residential townhouses on 7.36 acres. The design and construction will be similar to that of an adjacent, existing development, The Villas at Avery Creek. The proposed density is 9.51 units per acre.

Detailed project documents are available at avl.mx/bq8.

Creekside Community SUP (2177 Brevard Road, Arden, 28704)

Boca Raton, Fla.-based developer Ambach Community LLC and Weaverville-based property owners West Family Limited Partnerships request a SUP to construct a 497-unit multifamily residential development on 42.1 acres. Thirty-four buildings will house 495 rental units. Two three-story buildings will contain 176 and 80 units, respectively; six three-story buildings will contain 10 units each; and an unspecified number of three-story townhouses will contain six to eight units each. Finally, two single-family homes will be constructed at the west end of the property. The proposed density is 11.8 units per acre.

The proposal also includes three dog parks, a community pool and community garden, two pickleball courts, a landscaped common area and walking path.

Detailed documents can be found at avl.mx/bq7.

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About Sara Murphy
Sara Murphy lives in Leicester. Her work has appeared in 100 Days in Appalachia, Facing South, Polygon, and Lifehacker.

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