BARNARDSVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) —

A long legal battle over two condemned buildings in Barnardsville soon could come to an end, as Buncombe County Commissioners consider an $83,851 budget amendment to demolish them for good.

The saga goes back several years and involves a red brick garage and a one-story storefront building located on adjacent parcels at 1599 and 1603 Barnardsville Highway.

According to a report from the county’s Permits and Inspections Department, both properties are in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) along Dillingham Creek at the confluence of the Ivy River, which is Weaverville’s drinking water source.

“This area has endured both historical flooding and received heavy damage due to the flood event related to the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred in 2021,” a site analysis states.

County code enforcement personnel already had taken issue with the sites for unpermitted work that started in 2020. That February, officials served a search warrant at the site and representatives from multiple county departments documented unpermitted activity and violations of building, fire, flood, environmental health and zoning codes and ordinances.

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The buildings were condemned due to damages and the allegations of unpermitted work, and later declared “substantially damaged” following the effects of Tropical Storm Fred.

“In addition to this, the hydrostatic pressure of the floodwaters caused the septic tank and associated system to be forced out of the ground and deposited in the water course,” according to the site analysis, which includes damage assessment photos.

A fire later damaged one of the buildings in late 2023.

Buncombe County filed a lawsuit in Superior Court and a ruling on Jan. 2, 2024, gave officials authorization to demolish all structures.

The cost is estimated at $83,851, which will be covered by permit revenues that exceeded the budgeted amount for the current fiscal year.

The County Commission meets at 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, at 200 College St., Room 326, in downtown Asheville.