ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) —

The Asheville City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a 349-unit housing project that will transform hillsides along Smokey Park Highway and force the relocation of some nearby businesses.

The council approved conditional zoning to transform a sloped area along Smokey Park Highway at 172 Moody Ave. into a mixed-use development called Acton Hill with 349 units of housing, a nearly 21,000 square foot grocery store and other commercial uses.

A view from atop a hillside looking into the site that would be transformed into 349 units of housing, plus commercial spaces.
Crossland Homes would have to move to make for the proposed 349-unit development.
First Step Farm’s produce outlet would have to move to make for the proposed 349-unit development.
Since earlier this year, crews have been busy clearing the site of vegetation for the planned development.
A notice on Moody Avenue informs the community about the upcoming session.

It’s located across Smokey Park Highway from the Buncombe County Sports Park.

It calls for seven buildings of four to five stories each, plus a clubhouse with a gazebo, playground, pool and mail station. One of the three proposed commercial lots has already been designated as a grocery store.

A staff report says one benefit would be new, 10-foot-wide sidewalks in a section of Smokey Park Highway that lacks sidewalks now. There would be a five feet wide planting strip to separate pedestrians from the road.

Asheville resident Robert Robinson, who frequently comments on zoning matters, praised the Acton Hill project for its blend of unit types, including studio, single resident and family units.

“I think it’s a fantastic project,” Robinson said. “The mixture of unit types is a huge deal.”

“Smokey Park Highway has some existing pedestrian facilities. This application will actually solve some of the gaps in that area,” said urban planner Clay Mitchell.

The site will be working around a few constraints, including a power line that crosses the property, an existing multi-family unit at the top of Acton Hill and Harkins Cemetery at the bottom left. Mitchell assured the council that the cemetery would be preserved.

“I think this project really nicely balances a lot of the priorities that council articulates for when we’re having growth,” City Council Member Maggie Ullman said. “The fact that we’re having multi-family housing, we’re having density on a transportation corridor, we’re having a grocery store for all these new neighbors to be able to walk to.”

The zoning decision will affect at least two businesses: Crossland Homes of Candler and the retail store for First Step Farm of WNC.

First Step Farm is an organization that aids substance-dependent adults through a work therapy farming program. It works with up to 22 men and 15 women at a time between two facilities, producing vegetables, flowers and gourds in their 29 greenhouses.

The retail store is one location that First Step Farm residents sell their harvests. Uncertainty over the relocation has been a stressor for Sheila Ammons, the business manager of First Step Farm. The organization subleases space from Crossland, which will relocate to a new location on Smokey Park Highway if the development plan is approved.

Crossland, Ammons said, was a saving grace for First Step Farm.

“It was kinda a scary thought because we weren’t sure what we were gonna do,” said Ammons. “Because other places to rent are so expensive, we were glad that they were taking us with them.”