Letter: Council must listen to community on Haw Creek project

On Tuesday, April 23, Asheville City Council decides the fate of a 27-acre Haw Creek lot, a unique ecosystem in the valley behind the Blue Ridge Parkway, for a conditional zoning request for 95 homes, The Meadows at Haw Creek. Each Council member has a yes or no vote based on their interpretation of whether this is land use that’s reasonable and in the public interest. Meanwhile, over 2,000 residents and community members have expressed extreme concern for its lack of consideration for connectivity, the natural environment, affordability and infrastructure impact.

To be very clear: We’re not antidevelopment and recognize growth is inevitable. But what’s being asked for approval (a conditional zoning request is special permission) would be devastating. Together in community, we’ve knocked hundreds of doors talking to neighbors, gathered petition signatures and solicited a survey. Through many hours of community meetings, we’ve compromised on four very reasonable requests in exchange for approval. Yet the development counsel is cherry-picking.

As an Asheville resident for 15 years and Haw Creek for nine, I’ve felt the growing pains in this city evolve. My home also borders this lot, and for months I’ve feared the deep harm that this development would cause. I hear a great horned owl nightly; red hawks fly overhead; black bear families frequent my yard passing through to the forest. This special area offers so much to our nonhuman friends and, in turn, for us.

Asheville has one of the worst housing crises nationwide, and the impacts are alarming. Asheville City Schools teachers are leaving at a higher rate than any North Carolina school system. Asheville City firefighters still aren’t being paid a living wage. Per the Thrive Asheville study, those disproportionately affected by the housing crisis are Black or brown households led by single mothers. We really, desperately need affordable housing.

Given a proposal with zero commitment to affordability and far out of reach from the median income here, we have to ask: Whom do these houses benefit? The “all housing is good housing” narrative we’ve heard from developers, from select Planning and Zoning Commission members at the March 26 meeting, from greenwashed “environmentalists” who are influencing these decisions behind closed doors, is out of context and disruptive.

The development would demolish an area that’s 52% tree canopy to 12%. Mature trees cannot simply be replaced. Heavy rain causes instant flooding, and we have frequent stormwater issues. With only two ways in and out of the valley, what happens with wildfires or extreme flooding? Haw Creek is high risk for both, per the climate resiliency report (adopted into the Living Asheville comprehensive plan). One of our four requests is to modestly reduce the number of houses to preserve the back 6 acres of forest (leading to the parkway). But the development counsel ran the numbers, and it wouldn’t be profitable.

The Asheville Missing Middle Housing Study & Displacement Risk Assessment suggests specific areas for development; this isn’t one. It recommends housing be built in “Walkable Centers”; this area is not. In an area already dangerous for walkability and bikeability, plus lack of public transit access, this would force greater reliance on cars.

We believe a better future is possible, and we’re at a crossroads. It’s vital that Council members listen to the community, center equity and neighborhood resiliency first and vote no — so we can explore better options. This is precedent-setting for all Ashevilleans.

Show up on April 23 for the City Council meeting at 4 p.m. at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville and let your voice be heard (more info: avl.mx/dl7).

And remember, local leaders are in office based on your vote.

— Ashley McDermott
Asheville

Editor’s note: The public hearing on the project has been rescheduled for 5 p.m. June 11 at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville after the developer requested more time to make changes to the site plan, according to an April 19 Citizen Times article.