ASHEVILLE, NC (828newsNOW) —
A large-scale residential and commercial development proposal was pulled from the agenda of Wednesday’s Asheville Planning & Zoning Commission meeting after city staff members cited inconsistencies with the city’s Comprehensive Plan and said they could not support it.
Known as the Acton Hill project, the proposal would bring seven apartment buildings totaling 350 residential units, plus 34,000 square feet of commercial space, to a hilly, 42.65-acre site just off Smokey Park Highway at 172 Moody Avenue.
The applicants are seeking a conditional zoning change, from Highway Business and Residential Multi-Family Low Density to Commercial Expansion.
While city planners found it met some of the goals in the Living Asheville Comprehensive Plan, like increasing and diversifying the local supply of housing, they said the current design was inconsistent in other areas.
According to a staff report by Planning and Urban Design Director Stephanie Monson Dahl and Principal Planner Will Palmquist, in its current form, “Staff does not support the project in the current design based upon the identified inconsistencies with the Comprehensive Plan.”
For example, they said the plan was “not consistent” with the Future Land Use designation of “Urban Corridor.”
The specifically suggested:
* Locating commercial buildings along Smokey Park Highway with parking and auto-oriented uses in the rear “in order to create a more walkable environment and urban character.”
* Increasing building heights in the commercial portion to maximize use of land and increase the intensity and density of jobs and services.
* Enhancing pedestrian elements with wider sidewalks and planting strips.
After the staff report identified the concerns, the developer asked for a continuance until a meeting in June, Palmquist told 828newsNOW.com. Palmquist said he was “optimistic” that the developers could find ways to redesign the proposal so it might be more consistent with the comprehensive plan.