11 Collier Avenue oak trees

Green in brief: P&Z says no to tree protection ordinance, WNC turkey harvest hits record high

Commission Chair Laura Hudson argued that the rules placed too much emphasis on tree protection and could become an untenable burden for developers. “If you jam too many requirements onto one small parcel, I think you’re going to kill the development altogether,” she said.

Neighborho­od battles against business intrusion

Homeowners on Vermont Avenue in West Asheville see their neighborhood as a quiet, special residential pocket of the city — and they intend to keep it that way. Residents implored the Planning and Zoning Commission to stop a property owner from opening an art gallery in a house on the street. That issued tied into a discussion of short-term rentals and whether Asheville wants tourists “in every nook and cranny.”

P&Z votes in favor of new RAD zoning code, 133 apartments

A proposed form-based zoning code for the River Arts District passed its final hurdle before moving on to Asheville City Council for consideration. At a well-attended meeting of Asheville’s Planning & Zoning Commission on June 7, a 133-unit apartment complex on Lyman Street, a self-storage building on Gerber Road and a zoning change on Forsythe Street also got the commission’s nod.