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Development Plan for Landmark Property Revealed

11/16/2023 3:46 PM | Anonymous

Kevin Jackson, the buyer of the 26 acre parcel at 767 New Haw Creek Road, previewed his plan for the development of the property at HCCA’s Community Meeting on November 14. Following is a summary of our notes from his presentation.

~ Kevin Jackson is the developer. He is an Asheville native and part of a family of builders and real estate developers, now in its fifth generation.

~ He plans to build 90 to 95 homes, a mix of single family homes and townhomes. The bulk of the houses will be single family homes located on the larger tract of land that backs up to Alpine Way, on approximately 8,000 square foot lots. There are no plans for section 8 housing.

~ The townhomes will be located on the smaller tract of land on the west side of New Haw Creek Road. 

~ There will be one entrance into the development located near Bullman field off New Haw Creek Road. There is no plan to connect to any other existing streets. 

~ The City’s Department of Transportation will determine if a traffic study is required. 

~ The developer is considering creating a greenway along Haw Creek in the floodplain that could connect to Bullman field. Appropriate erosion and storm water management will be undertaken to protect the creek. 

~ There will be drainage ponds on the property to help with runoff. 

~ The plan is to save mature trees along the perimeter of the property to create a landscape buffer as requested by the City. Details on how large the buffer will be, maybe 20 feet, have yet to be determined.

~ Most of the forested area would be removed. New trees will be planted to meet City tree canopy regulations.

~ It will take about six months to complete the approval process. 

~ It will take about a year to demolish the existing structures, clear the land, and put in infrastructure.

~ Building the houses will be completed in phases. He did not show any preliminary plans for how the neighborhood would be laid out or what the houses would look like.

~ The City requires the developer to host a public meeting with surrounding residents to discuss the plan. There is a sign posted at the Happy Valley entrance announcing a "Neighborhood Meeting" to be held on November 28, 5:00 - 6:00 pm, via Zoom.

Use this link to join the Zoom meeting:

https://cdcgo.zoom.us/j/88279179995?pwd=DbKSjzKzngkMlCw5pfkel8ZocBgYfs.1

Meeting ID: 882 7917 9995

Passcode: 605756

The Haw Creek Community Association has submitted a request to the City's Planning and Urban Design Department for the developer to hold an in-person public information meeting as we believe a project of this scale and magnitude—subdivision of a landmark 26-acre property—requires more public review than a one hour Zoom meeting. As we learn new information we will post it here.

For additional background, see previous news post Landmark Property Under Contract for Sale 8/29/2023, and the feature article in the Winter 2023 Newsletter 2/21/2023. 

Comments

  • 11/21/2023 11:49 PM | Anonymous
    The proposal to remove our precious forest and replace it with a manufactured canopy is insane! We need to ask ourselves, "What the hell are we doing?" It's a disturbing echo of history – a reminder of the Haw Creek Park debacle in 2001 when vigilant citizens thwarted a greedy developer's exploitation of our land. We can and must do the same now.

    When a forest is uprooted around Haw Creek, we aren't just losing trees; we're sacrificing the homes of blue jays, cardinals, Carolina chickadees, tufted titmice, American crows, eastern towhees, American robins, mourning doves, brown thrashers, Carolina wrens, red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks, and turkey vultures. On the ground, lives are disrupted for black bears, white-tailed deer, Virginia opossums, raccoons, southern flying squirrels, gray squirrels, and every person in our community.

    Is the addition of 96 more houses, each inevitably accompanied by multiple vehicles, truly worth such a profound sacrifice? And what is the developer contemplating as he enjoys his filet mignon in the meticulously landscaped yard of his gated-community mansion, complete with strictly monitored street speeds and rigorously regulated building restrictions? Perhaps this: "(Maybe) Creating a greenway along Haw Creek in the floodplain that could connect to Bullman Field." Oh, what an oversight on my part! That's really going to make a difference! Can the developer also "consider" providing us with clean air to breathe?

    We must unite and organize to preserve the character of our neighborhood, protect our diverse wildlife, and safeguard the well-being of everyone living here. Together, we can ensure a future that respects both our community and our environment.
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    • 11/27/2023 2:52 PM | Anonymous
      1. Infrastructure: The proper infrastructure does not exist for ingress and egress into Haw Creek. The roads are not wide enough. Walkers and bike riders will be chased off New Haw Creek Road.
      2. Bang for the buck: Why not redirect the use of the land to larger lots, and less of an environmental impact? It's all about money.
      3. Let's not let East Asheville become like South Asheville!!!!!
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