Letter: Development is ruining North Buncombe

Graphic by Lori Deaton

As someone who has lived 12 minutes from Weaverville for the last 33 years, it churned my stomach to read about the Northridge Farms development with yet 577 more units planned in an area that just had three huge condo/apartment complexes built in the last two-three years [“Development Roundup: Northridge Farms Proposes 577 Units for Weaverville,” Feb. 1, Xpress]. The traffic on the Weaverville strip and Monticello Road is bumper to bumper as is. Running errands in Weaverville was an alternative to Asheville for me, as its overcrowding and ever-worsening traffic continue.

These developments are always named after what used to be there. Farmland and forests. Everywhere you go in and around Weaverville, huge developments are under construction. Lake Louise is horrible. Reems Creek. Old Marshall Highway. Residents watch their views from their homes literally disappear. Even where I live, 18 houses have gone in around me within a half-mile radius in the last three years. I don’t dare ride my bicycle on the roads anymore for the constant stream of cars.

It was very different three decades ago. And I loved it here. Now I’m filled with heartache as more trees are bulldozed and farmland is taken by the day. This building boom is on steroids, and it’s turning what was a quaint little town and quiet rural countryside into constant traffic congestion.

There are no signs of it letting up, either. For shame on you, Weaverville. Devastating those who have lived here and enjoyed the area for decades, forever ruining precious farmland and acres of woodlands. Tapping the Ivy River of its water. All for revenue. I avoid South Asheville like the plague. Now North Buncombe is getting turned into the same. If I weren’t so old and didn’t have 33 years of blood, sweat and love in my little acre, I’d be packing up and moving out farther away.

Developers don’t care how they impact locals. Or the environment. They are exploiting the land for greed. Nothing short. I have choice words for them that can’t be printed here.

— Troy Amastar
Alexander

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3 thoughts on “Letter: Development is ruining North Buncombe

  1. Shultz!

    I can empathize – same thing happened to the town where I grew up. As a society built on grow-or-die economics, growth is inevitable. Unfortunately, it’s a rare thing when local government has the foresight to put restrictions and ordinances in place to guide growth with an eye on the future rather than letting developers maximize profit by squeezing every dollar out of the land. You can’t blame them – at the time the build up starts happening, most of the folks in the local government grew up in a rural setting with a small-government culture where those types of restrictions are considered anti-American. Sadly, the light bulb doesn’t usually go on until after much damage has been done. Just seems to be the way of things.

    • indy499

      30-40 million more people will be in the US by 2050 per govt studies. Some of those people are going to live here. Get over it.

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