“Many people come in and have an idea of what kind of house they want: an older home like a Victorian or Arts and Crafts, a bungalow, a ranch, midcentury modern, a fixer-upper, a new green build,” says Stephanie Cochran, a broker with Mosaic Realty. “In many towns that pinpoints the area where you will look. But in Asheville, so many neighborhoods have a mix of many if not all of those.”
Two years in the making, the proposed form-based code for the River Arts District isn’t a done deal yet. At its July 25 meeting, Asheville City Council sent the code back to the Planning and Zoning Commission for deliberation on removing short-term lodging from the uses permitted in commercial areas of the district.
Asheville is asking the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority for a $20 million grant to fund street improvements and a new parking deck in the city’s fast-growing South Slope.
Driven by concerns about rapid development and increasing traffic congestion, South Asheville residents are working to make their voices heard in city and county government. One prospective apartment complex at the corner of Mills Gap and Sweeten Creek roads has become a focus for residents’ concerns.
