Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout and her staff met with HCCA leaders on February 11 to discuss the trail closure in Masters Park. Signs indicating the trail is closed as it enters National Park Service land have been illegally removed. This poses a danger to hikers who may be unaware that Helene-related repairs are underway.

Parkway staff are facing numerous challenges. Along the Blue Ridge Parkway, a roughly 150-mile stretch was impacted by Helene. Within this area 57 landslides have been identified with 12 of those considered catastrophic. In many cases the roadway itself has collapsed or been undermined. The repair process — slope stabilization, debris removal, drainage repair, guardrail replacement, and repaving the road — will likely take until this fall.

As Haw Creek and the larger Asheville region continue to recovery from Tropical Storm Helene, a less-noticed impact of the storm has affected area hikers. Many popular trails have closed for storm related repairs, with some expected to take several months to complete.

The primary trail along the Parkway is the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, which includes the section accessed via Masters Park in Haw Creek. For those reliant on this route for their hiking fix, the prospect of going months without this popular trail connection can be disheartening.

Some may ask, if we are only hiking why can’t we use the trail? Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Swartout reports that heavy equipment will be working seven days a week to complete repairs as rapidly as possible. Workers may not see you or your pets if you trespass, putting everyone at risk. Closure signs and barriers are there for a reason, to protect you and to allow crews to work efficiently and safely. 

Significant work remains before the Parkway and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail are reopened north of Tunnel Road as both are currently closed to Mt. Mitchell State Park. The goal is reopening this section by fall 2025. It’s imperative that everyone honors the barriers and signs to allow restoration work to proceed swiftly and safely. 

In the meantime, the Parkway and Mountains-to-Sea Trail remain open in Asheville between US-70 on the east side and Hwy 191 on the west side. Also, Warren Wilson College has a trail system that is open to the public and there are open trails at the Arboretum and Bent Creek. 

To learn more about storm damage on the Parkway and the slide near Haw Creek visit Helene Impacts and Recovery - Blue Ridge Parkway (U.S. National Park Service).

In addition to all the other damage caused by Tropical Storm Helene, here in Haw Creek it caused a landslide between the Blue Ridge Parkway and Maple Drive along the western perimeter of Masters Park. Extending over several hundred feet, the slide has forced a rerouting of the popular Masters Park trail. Repair work is about to begin, as explained in this message from Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent, Tracy Swartout.

"I wanted to reach out to all of you to let you know about an exciting update on the Parkway, to repair roadway damage near your homes. Many of you connected with one or more of our incident management team in October and November as we were in initial storm response phase, and assessing Parkway motor road damage over roughly a 200-mile stretch in North Carolina. I'm pleased to share that we are now moving into the construction phase with several landslides in the Asheville corridor, including the slide just south of Haw Creek overlook, near your homes. 

Restoration work on this slide is set to begin next week, and you will begin to be aware that staging and prep work is beginning. We expect the work to be completed on this one specific repair location by this summer, but there is much additional work remaining in the corridor between the Folk Art Center and Craggy Gardens before the road will be reopened to the public in that stretch of the Parkway lands. 
 
Construction operations starting 1/27/25 are scheduled to occur during daylight hours, Monday through Friday. Due to a compressed timeline, construction is possible on weekends and national holidays with NPS approval. Construction traffic will primarily be accessing the Parkway at Tunnel Road. 
 
We have connected with the City of Asheville Parks and Rec folks to plan for temporary closure of trail access onto and across the Parkway in the construction zone, and placement of signage at the trailhead kiosk and on the trail itself to warn all hikers. Timeline on that is TBD. While closure of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in this section, and all Parkway lands in this area has been in place for several months to protect public safety, closure of the trail access from Master's Park onto the Parkway now will be critical for the safety of everyone involved until the project is complete. Please respect this closure for your safety, and the safety of contractors on-site. You may also receive an update from the City of Asheville on this topic. NPS staff are available next week by phone to answer any questions you may have. 
 
In short, all of the landslide repair and construction will occur from the Parkway side, and you shouldn't have any unexpected impacts from the work, but we ask you to reach out to the Parkway’s Public Information Officer, Leesa Brandon, at leesa_brandon@nps.gov if you have any questions or concerns during construction."

Carrie Lee, the Asheville Police Department (APD) Community Resource Officer for East Asheville, has invited Haw Creek community members to participate in the Spring 2025 Citizens Police Academy. 

The Academy teaches residents about the philosophy, policies, and guiding principles of law enforcement and ethical conduct governing police services in the community. It gives participants an appreciation for the problems and challenges facing law enforcement and creates a space where collaboration can occur.

The spring session begins March 13, with 3 hour classes every Thursday for 10 weeks, culminating with a graduation ceremony. Dinner is provided each night. In order to attend you will need to complete and submit a short application form.

This is a great way to learn about public safety in Asheville and meet APD leaders.

The Charlie Bullman Park complex is managed by the Western North Carolina Youth Sports Association (WNCYSA), a non-profit sports organization. Even before Helene struck, Bullman Park was in need of updating and now WNCYSA President Brian Moseman has established an ambitious schedule of improvements including: 

~ Rebuild open air dugouts, 
~ Complete fencing replacement around all fields,
~ Rebuild batting cage,
~ Repair and paint exterior of field house/concession building, and

~ General repairs to fields and grounds.

This Bullman Rebuild Letter describes in detail the needed improvements. Important to note, by mutual agreement, WNCYSA and the City of Asheville have determined that going forward, WNCYSA will be the sole manager of the Bullman Park complex. This will allow WNCYSA to make improvements on their schedule. 

The primary challenge to accomplishing these improvements is securing funding. Brian and fellow WNCYSA administrator – and Haw Creek resident – Tim Rhodes, both ask you to consider making a donation to help them make these updates in time for the spring baseball season. 

Please contact Brian at 828-775-4464 or wncysa@gmail.com with any questions or to make a contribution.

Many residents celebrate the holiday season by putting on a light show for all to see. We’ve scouted the area and want to share this list and a few photos of the spectacular holiday lights around our neighborhood.

~ New Haw Creek Road at Maple Drive, includes the fire station and an impressive display at 893 along with 3 other houses nearby; and check out 397 New Haw Creek Road
~ Ozark Spring subdivision off Bell Road 
~ Rhododendron Circle off Old Haw Creek Road
~ Willowbrook Road off Old Haw Creek Road
~ Huntington Chase subdivision off New Haw Creek Road
~ The Whale at New Haw Creek and Beverly Roads

Happy Holidays! Happy New Year!

Colorful treats highlighted HCCA's first Holiday Cookie Exchange & Contest held on December 14th at the East Asheville Library. The kids decorated and the grownups exchanged cookies and everyone went home happy. 

Thanks to all who participated, with special thanks to firefighters Joshua Alonzo and Andrew Clyburn, who helped choose the winning entries.

• Best Tasting winner was Nancy Hyatt for her Frosted Hermit cookies. 
  
• Best Presentation was awarded to Ian and Patti Lawton for their Peanut Frosted cookies. 
  
• Most Creative went to Diane Coombs for her Kringle cookies.
  

Special recognition for event leadership goes to HCCA board member Michelle Decker, pictured with firefighters Joshua (left) and Andrew (right), and to Community Outreach Committee member Christina Quetel.

Groce United Methodist Church and Haw Creek Commons were honored by HCCA, at our public board meeting on November 21, for their community-minded response to tropical storm Helene. On hand from the Commons was Patrick Neitzey, Campus Pastor, and from Groce UMC, Pastor Jill Rhinehart and True Morse, Chair of the Groce Leadership Team. 

True Morse, who was involved in the response effort hands-on, reported that what occurred in response to the Helene disaster would not have happened if not for all the community volunteers who showed up and pitched in. Everyone agrees that about 75% of the volunteers were not members of Groce. He said, "For us at Groce it really opened our eyes to see how much more we can accomplish for our community through doing more with and through community partners instead of defaulting to thinking it has to be done primarily through members of Groce."

The key partnership that occurred during this crisis was with the leaders of Grateful Village / Chances for Children Carolinas: Tracey Stebbing, Anna Harrelson and Marsha van Rijssen. Tracey was the genius in the supplies room and Marsha (who also is a key volunteer at Groce's weekly Welcome Table and leads the Prom Dress Exchange for high school students) was the leader of the meals effort. The effort all started when Marsha contacted Jill that Monday morning and said "We might as well cook and serve the food in the freezers and refrigerators before it spoils."

Chances for Children Carolinas are engaging with the Reynolds school district to help children and youth in need due to this disaster, expanding what they had already been doing. HCCA members may want to support the important storm relief work they're undertaking.

At Haw Creek Commons, Chef and Kitchen Manager EJ Mochrie, and Community Coordinator Linden Lingle, together with Peter Lorenz Cubmaster of Scout Troop 4, helped transform the Commons into a relief and aid center. Among others who stepped up were Emily Oldenburg (Troop 4 parent) and Pat Smith who helped organize an outside effort to secure supplies.

The teachers at Haw Creek Elementary School volunteered often and checked on individual families in need. Pack 4 Cub Scouts and Troop 4 Scouts and their parents also helped in many ways. Haw Creek dog walkers relayed community needs. And from elsewhere, the Cajun Navy, North Wilkesboro Speedway, and the Disaster Relief Donation Center of ASU in Hickory, all provided important and timely supplies.

HCCA is grateful to all the community volunteers who provided their skills, labor and love to support their neighbors during the recovery from this disaster.

We have been steadily working on a number of long-standing projects and recently introduced some new projects, all to benefit Haw Creek residents and the greater community. Following is an update on projects that are currently in the works.

New Haw Creek Road Sidewalk

Yes, it’s coming despite the delays due to the NCDOT review process. Here is the current status:

 ~ NCDOT is in the process of approving the final revisions to the bid manual. 

 ~ The formal authorization to construct will be submitted as soon as the DOT approval is received.

 ~ The bid advertisement date is scheduled for August.

 ~ Bids are scheduled to be due September 19—this date is in the bid manual that DOT is reviewing. There are things that could impact this but it is an indication of a more committed date, which will be in the DOT approved documents. 
 ~ Assuming three bids are received, City Council will vote on the construction contract at their October council meeting.

Beverly Road Pedestrian Bridge

Complex technical difficulties involving FEMA flood elevations have delayed building a bridge over Haw Creek, utilizing the AT&T girder, that will connect the parking lot at Creekside Taphouse with the one on the other side of the creek. This bridge will enable pedestrians to cross without stepping into traffic on Beverly Road. The general contractor needs to make two changes in the design as requested by the city and then they should approve the permit. Once the permit is in hand construction can begin. In 2022, HCCA secured a $5,000 grant from the city’s Neighborhood Matching Grant program for this project, however, the bulk of the funding is being provided by Creekside Taphouse.

Haw Creek Park Greenway   

HCCA’s grant application before the Buncombe County Open Spaces Fund is progressing through the required stages. Our application passed an initial set of screenings and we presented at an invitation-only session with the county grant committee. We also recently led a site visit for representatives of the county fund and their positive feedback encourages us to be optimistic. The bond committee has shifted their timeline and we are now expecting a final decision in October. 

Monitoring Haw Creek Water Quality

HCCA recently submitted a request to the city’s Neighborhood Matching Grant program for funds to add two monitoring stations on Haw Creek to determine current conditions and track water quality and watershed changes over time. Haw Creek is a significant tributary to the French Broad River, which is currently listed as "impaired" for water quality (mostly due to bacteria) and we don't have any data on our historic or current water quality conditions in Haw Creek. The Environmental Quality Institute maintains a network of water quality monitoring stations across western NC that are sampled by volunteers. These volunteers collect monthly water samples that are analyzed by EQI staff and the data helps identify potential water quality issues. 

Haw Creek Wildfire Evaluation Plan

In response to concerns raised by community members about the lack of a wildfire evacuation plan for Haw Creek, HCCA recently submitted a request to the city’s Neighborhood Matching Grant program for funds to contract with Dustin Bradley, an experienced firefighter and a woodland-urban interface technician who also consults about wildfire preparation. He's outlined the parameters for a Firewise study, which would address early warning systems, evacuation procedures, analysis of varying degrees of fire risk associated within different sections of the valley, landscaping strategies, and use of flame retardant construction materials. We look forward to providing a presentation to the community on these issues.

Open Space Preservation

HCCA has established a committee to identify some of the remaining large tracts of undeveloped land within the Haw Creek valley and explore potential conservation options. Committee members are talking with local land conservancies about their policies and practices. Our goal is to talk with land owners and gauge their interest in preserving their property for future generations.

With the exception of the city sidewalk, these projects are led by HCCA board volunteers and supported by membership dues and donations.

From the time Kevin Jackson first presented the proposed Meadows at Haw Creek to our community in November 2023, HCCA worked to represent the interests of Haw Creek residents. Beginning in January 2024, we made several overtures to Jackson to engage in meaningful negotiations to see if there was a compromise that would address the community’s many concerns about the proposed project.

Jackson met with members of HCCA on two occasions and attended an HCCA meeting, listened to the concerns we expressed, but never provided any substantive responses. After the 4-3 vote by the Planning and Zoning Commission on March 20, Chris Pelly, on behalf of HCCA, contacted the Mayor to ask for her help to bring Jackson to the negotiating table. The Mayor reached out to Jackson and his attorney and asked that they attend negotiations, which she would host. Those negotiations yielded meaningful concessions.

1) Preserved Tree Canopy – The 767 parcel is 27 acres of which 53% is tree canopy. Jackson’s initial proposal to the Technical Review Committee (TRC) would have preserved only 3.4 acres of canopy. HCCA negotiated to preserve more of the canopy and increase the tree buffer for adjoining lots in Happy Valley. The Conditional Zoning (CZ) as adopted by City Council now protects approximately 5.5 to 6 acres of canopy and protects not only the tree canopy, but other existing vegetation as well. Protecting the existing non-tree vegetation was important to the west side property owners adjacent to the proposed town homes. That requirement was included as a condition of the CZ approval.

2) Improved Sidewalks – Jackson had proposed to build a sidewalk only on the west side of New Haw Creek Road in front of the town homes. Jackson did not propose to build a sidewalk along the eastern side of New Haw Creek Road. TRC, however, required that an east side sidewalk be included. HCCA suggested an alternative. Jackson’s proposal included a 12-foot greenway running the length of the frontage of the 767 property.  HCCA suggested moving the sidewalk or building an ADA-compliant multi-purpose path into the greenway and extending the sidewalk not only across the 767 property, but also across 719 New Haw Creek Road (the ballfields). The City and Jackson agreed to that requirement. The City’s sidewalk, when built, will end at Bell Road. The CZ will now require Jackson to extend that sidewalk to Sleepy Hollow Road.

3) Increased Town Home Screening – The homeowners adjacent to the proposed town homes were concerned about the lack of screening between their properties and the rear of the town homes. They were also concerned that the headlights of cars entering or leaving the town homes via Kings Meadow Court would light-up the houses on Redwing Lane and the hillside behind the town homes. The upper row of town homes is approximately 500-feet from north to south.  We were successful in negotiating a requirement that more than 700 feet of evergreen trees be planted along the rear property lines of the town homes, continuing along Kings Meadow Court to New Haw Creek Road. Jackson is required to plant 6 foot arborvitae every 12 feet along the rear property line of the town homes, with a second row of arborvitae, 6 feet behind and staggered between the trees in the first row. Arborvitae grow 3 to 4 feet per year, and reach a height of 40 to 50 feet at maturity with a spread of 12 feet. If any of the arborvitae die, the HOA will be required to replace it with a new 6 foot arborvitae. A total of more than 110 arborvitae will have to be planted.

4) Introduced Conservation Easement – HCCA negotiated a requirement that Jackson work with Riverlink, Southern Appalachian Conservancy or a similar organization to place the 3.8 acres of preserved tree canopy on the northeast side of the development, the area backing against Sleepy Hollow Drive, Alpine Way and Alpine Court, into a conservation easement with the potential for publicly accessible trails.

5) Reduced Unit Count – Jackson's proposal included 60 single-family homes. The CZ approved by City Council reduces that number to 49.

6) Minimized Retaining Walls – The 767 design approved in the CZ includes only two small retaining walls, one along the entrance to the town homes and a second along the northeast side of the wetlands near the ball fields. HCCA negotiated to minimize the number and height of any retaining walls. All of the options presented by Jackson that used a bridge across the wetlands as the sole access to the property would have required substantial retaining walls ranging in height from 5 to 20 feet, potentially running the full length of the 767 frontage.

Now that the Conditional Zoning has been approved by City Council, Jackson will have to submit new drawings and plans that conform to the terms of the project conditions as outlined and submit those to TRC for final review. NCDOT will review any issues falling within its jurisdiction since New Haw Creek Road is a state road.

Terry Latanich, a retired-attorney and Haw Creek resident who worked as one of HCCA’s negotiators on the 767 project, will continue to monitor the progress of Jackson’s project through TRC. He will keep us informed on any significant issues that may arise in the TRC review process as well as provide updates on timing.

Asheville City Council voted by a 5-1 margin to approve the 767 development proposal at their July 23 meeting. Over one hundred Haw Creek residents were on hand to witness the outcome of this contentious nine-month campaign. Although we won significant improvements to the original plan, success is laden with sadness over how the issue has divided our community. 

A more complete report will be coming soon. For now, here is the site plan approved last evening.