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.

HCCA is proud to congratulate board member Storms Reback on his selection by the City of Asheville as July's outstanding neighborhood volunteer. 

From the July 23 issue of Neighborhood News:

"Moving to a new community is challenging enough, settling in and becoming actively engaged is another. We are saluting Storms because he came, he saw, and is making a difference.

Storms has been a driving force behind significant and tangible improvements to the Haw Creek community. He launched the first-ever Haw Creek Heritage Festival in 2023 that unites artists, musicians, and storytellers to celebrate community history and culture. He organized the inaugural ‘Haw Creek Hustle’ 5K race, which featured 125 local runners and strengthened the Haw Creek community's identity.

One of Storms' most visible contributions is replacing the community identification sign at the entrance to the Haw Creek neighborhood. This compelling and beautifully landscaped sign showcases his 'can do' attitude and ability to mobilize neighbors. As chair of the Clean & Green Committee, Storms also led cleanups of overgrown vegetation in Haw Creek Park.

Storms’ effectiveness is remarkable considering that he accomplished all the above and more in just one year of service as a Board member of the Haw Creek Community Association.

Thank you, Storms Reback, for your unwavering dedication, outstanding contributions, and infectious positive attitude that is inspiring many and significantly improving the Haw Creek Community!”

The eight-month community campaign opposing the original 767 development plan is making an impact. The latest revised design finally reflects broad-based support for tree preservation and fewer homes. Although far from ideal, this negotiated proposal addresses many of the concerns heard from Haw Creek residents. 

The proposed subdivision entrance via Alpine Court in Happy Valley is gone. The bridge through the wetlands is gone. The proposed retaining walls, up to 15’ high and facing New Haw Creek Road, are gone. The number of homes on the east side is reduced from 60 to 49. And 4.3 acres of forest canopy is preserved on the east end. Pedestrian improvements, including the greenway and connecting sidewalks, are still included.

Ongoing negotiations enabled this progress. Participants in the most recent May 30 meeting were 767 developer Kevin Jackson and his team, senior city leaders, including Mayor Manheimer, Council members Antanette Mosley and Sage Turner, and Haw Creek Community Association leaders. 

Another outcome was the decision to delay City Council action from June 11 to July 23. The postponement will allow time to reach a final agreement. 

On Friday, June 14, HCCA will host a drop-in session at the East Asheville Library from 6-8 p.m., during which the recent and most promising 767 New Haw Creek development option will be reviewed and discussed.

Previous iterations are here: Read the developer’s response to the key improvements HCCA outlined and review the various design options, along with the most recent (page 5), shown below.

Seeking more time to respond to the objections of the Haw Creek community and City leaders, developer Kevin Jackson has pulled consideration of the ‘Meadows at Haw Creek’ development from Tuesday’s City Council agenda. Instead, the public hearing and vote has been rescheduled for Tuesday, June 11th, when this matter will come back to City Council. 

HCCA leaders participated in April 11th negotiations hosted by Mayor Manheimer and Councilwoman Sage Turner with Mr. Jackson’s team. It became evident their proposal to reduce the number of homesites from 95 to 94, plus no commitment to forest preservation, was wholly insufficient. 

That said, progress was made on other fronts with agreement on pedestrian improvements to link the 767 property with the new sidewalk ending at Bell Road and on the western side buffers. 

Based on the April 11th negotiations, the developer has sought a delay to consider redesign options. We remain hopeful a reasonable compromise can be negotiated that preserves the six-acre forest on the east end of the property. 

City Council will vote this Tuesday on the developer’s request for continuance until June 11th. It is likely this will be approved in order to provide him time to refine his plans.

As we learn more about the redesign proposals, we will share that information. In the meantime, please mark your calendar and plan to attend the June 11th City Council meeting.

Listen to the Story on BPR

Almost 400 residents attended the March 20 special meeting of the City of Asheville's Planning and Zoning Commission scheduled to review the proposal for the housing development at 767 New Haw Creek Road. With the public comment portion of the meeting limited to one hour, the commissioners heard from just 17 of the more than 200 attendees who requested the opportunity to speak. 

The four-hour-long meeting ended with a narrow recommendation of approval to rezone the property, expanding the number of homes allowed from a maximum of 49 to 95 single-family homes and townhomes. The Asheville City Council will have the final say on whether the rezoning request is approved during a vote scheduled for their April 9 meeting. 

The commissioners heard from city planning staff on their review of the project, the developer Kevin Jackson, and citizens both in favor and opposed to the rezoning request.

Haw Creek residents opposed to the rezoning request cited many concerns about the project, including pedestrian safety, the lack of affordability housing in the development, increased traffic, the ability to evacuate the valley in the event of a fire or other emergency, impact to wildlife living on the site, potential flooding due to stormwater runoff, and loss of tree canopy. Approximately 53 percent of the property is covered with mature tree canopy, with the most densely wooded area on the east side. 

Haw Creek Community Association President Chris Pelly spoke on behalf of the neighborhood organization, recognizing the need for more housing in Asheville but urged the commissioners to follow the guidance of the city's 2018 comprehensive plan for smart growth. He shared the neighborhood’s concern that the rezoning proposal violates the spirit and intent of the comprehensive plan in several key areas. 

"We did not come here to say no to this development. We recognize housing of all types is needed in all areas of the city, including Haw Creek," Pelly said. "We are prepared to do our part." 

Many of the speakers, including Buncombe County Planning Board Member John Noor, implored the commissioners to delay the vote to allow for continued discussions with the developer on areas for compromise, including the possibility of a reduction to the number of homes constructed to allow for preservation of a significant portion of the wooded area.

"The Haw Creek community is prepared to compromise and will not oppose a rezoning if Mr. Jackson also compromises. To date, this has not happened," he said. "For this reason, we respectfully request Planning and Zoning members oppose the conditional zoning request." 

After hours of discussion and deliberation, the commission voted 4-3 to approve the project. The rezoning request now goes to the City Council for the final vote. 

At the March 12th annual meeting of the community association, Michelle Decker and Steve Scholl were elected to the board and re-elected incumbents included Bruce Black, Barber Melton, Renate Rikkers, Christina Maggi and Chris Pelly. See board member bios. Chosen as officers for 2024 were Bruce Black, Treasurer, Steve Scholl, Secretary, Christina Maggi, Vice President and Chris Pelly, President.

Highlights from 2023 were reviewed including: 
– Installation of a Little Free Library at Spruce Hill Apartments
– Installation of a kiosk at Masters Park
– Installation of a new ‘Welcome to Haw Creek’ sign at the Crockett Road entrance
– Launch of the Haw Creek Park Greenway campaign
– Leadership of the community response to the 767 NHC development project
– Multiple public programs including the first-ever Haw Creek Heritage Festival, Living with Black Bears program, Chili Cook Off, Game Days, yard sales, and park cleanups
– Organizational improvements such as standing committees, the website, expansion of social media and membership growth

Plans for 2024 were discussed including:
– Landscaping around the new welcome sign
– The first-ever Haw Creek 5K run/walk set for April 20th
– Plans to complete the Haw Creek Park Greenway campaign
– Continued community advocacy on the 767 development project
– Many new events related to gardening, community-led hikes, and more

Attendees were encouraged to join any of the four committees that manage much of the association’s day-to-day work. The four committees and their leaders are:
– Clean & Green Committee – Chair, Storms Reback
– Community Outreach Committee – Chair, Michelle Decker
– Sidewalk, Greenways & Pedestrian Safety Comm. – Chair, Chris Pelly
– Communications & Development Committee – Chair, Liz Polfus

The meeting, attended by 75 residents, closed with a dessert social.

With a review process that stretches over several months, it can be difficult to keep track of the status of the 767 development project. Rest assured we are and this progress report has the details.

What We've Heard From Our Haw Creek Neighbors

You have told us that it's important this project be scaled back—that 95 homes are too many on this site. You have told us that the developer's plan to cut the tree canopy from the current 53% to just 12% is excessive and the trees need to be protected. You have told us that the community wants better pedestrian connections, both around and within the development, including sidewalks and greenways that will connect to each other. We have heard your concerns and will be sharing them with City Council members in individual meetings over the next few weeks.

Haw Creek Traffic Study Complete

We have received the final report of the experts we retained to conduct a traffic study on the impact of the 767 development project. Our experts concluded that “the proposed development will adversely affect the health or safety of persons residing or working along New Haw Creek Road in the vicinity of the proposed development from a traffic engineering perspective.” We encourage you to read the full report. Each of the intersections that were studied are stressed today. As the city makes its decision on whether to grant conditional zoning to the developer to build 95 housing units, it needs to consider the incremental impact of the traffic it would be permitting. Hopefully, the report of our experts will help guide the city’s zoning decision.

Technical Review Committee (TRC) Findings 

The 12 page TRC staff report from the February 5 initial review of the 767 development plan contains useful analysis as we prepare for the next step in this campaign. Although no public comments were allowed, there were 145 people on the video call during the proposal review, the most TRC has ever experienced, thanks to the many engaged Haw Creek community members.

Planning & Zoning Commission to Hold Public Hearing March 20th 

The first opportunity for public testimony on the "Meadows at Haw Creek" will be Wednesday, March 20, 5 pm at Harrah's Cherokee Center Banquet Hall. All residents will have three minutes to speak and this is your opportunity to be heard. Even if you're not interested in speaking, your presence is important so please plan to join us. The Planning & Zoning Commission, a City Council-appointed board, will review the development proposal, hear public testimony, and then make a recommendation to the City Council. 

City Council to Vote April 9th 

City Planning staff have indicated that the City Council will likely be taking up the "Meadows at Haw Creek" development at their April 9 meeting, which will begin at 5 pm in City Hall. Again, there will be a public hearing at which residents will have three minutes to speak. More details to come. 

Soil Testing at 767 New Haw Creek 

We've received word that the developer is having soil compaction analysis undertaken at various spots on the 26-acre site. We have been assured that the equipment you might observe on the property is only for these purposes. No construction is allowed before City Council action.

What You Can Do to Help

We need Haw Creek residents to continue to reach out to the City Council and the media. Your letters-to-the-editor have an impact so please keep it up. Same for letters and emails to the City Council members. Details and talking points are available here.

We have received the Final Report of the experts we retained to conduct a traffic study on the impact of the proposed development at 767 New Haw Creek Road (“The Meadows at Haw Creek”). The study we requested focused on traffic flow and safety at four significant intersections in Haw Creek, which most of us encounter daily: (1) New Haw Creek Road at Bell Road (Evergreen School), (2) Old Haw Creek Road at Bethesda Road (Haw Creek Elementary School), (3) New Haw Creek Road at Beverly Road, and (4) the New Haw Creek Road intersection with Route 70. 

While each of these intersections are problematic today, the report concludes that the increased traffic from the proposed development would exacerbate those problems. Our experts concluded that “the proposed development will adversely affect the health or safety of persons residing or working along New Haw Creek Road in the vicinity of the proposed development from a traffic engineering perspective.” 

With respect to traffic flow and safety at Evergreen School and Haw Creek Elementary School the report documents the steps the schools have taken to mitigate traffic queuing on New and Old Haw Creek Roads (e.g., staggered drop-off and pick-up times) but finds that the increased traffic from the proposed development would result in more significant queuing on both roads.

The report calls out the safety issues at the Beverly Road and New Haw Creek Road intersection, specifically the inadequate line-of-sight distances for cars making left turns onto Beverly Road from New Haw Creek Road or from Beverly Road onto New Haw Creek Road. With respect to the Route 70 intersection with New Haw Creek Road the report concludes that back-up times at peak hours will increase. 

We encourage you to read the full report. Each of the intersections that were studied are stressed today. As the city makes its decision on whether to grant conditional zoning to the developer to build 95 housing units at “The Meadows of Haw Creek” it needs to consider the incremental impact of the traffic it would be permitting. Hopefully, the report of our experts will help guide the city’s zoning decision.

On Monday, February 19, before an audience of 160+ community members, a group of 7th and 8th graders from Evergreen Community Charter School introduced and asked questions of the candidates running for Asheville City Council this year. 

Led by poised and polished student moderators, the 767 development plan was the first question asked. Other questions focused on the long-delayed New Haw Creek Road sidewalk, homelessness, community reparations, public funding of charter schools, inadequate infrastructure maintenance, district elections, drug treatment, and climate change. 

The six candidates participating in the forum included Charles (CJ) Domingo, Kevan Frazier, Roberto (Bo) Hess, Tod Leaven, Kim Roney, and Sage Turner. Watch the forum and hear the responses from each candidate on the school's youtube channel.

The March 5 primary election will determine which six of the eight candidates running for the three open Council seats will advance to the general election in November.

The Haw Creek Community Association was pleased to co-sponsor this community event.

The developer of the 767 New Haw Creek Road property officially filed plans with the City on January 10. The 12-page document is available here and on the HCCA Rezoning and Development Process webpage.

The "Meadows at Haw Creek" plan details the site layout for 95 homes with open flood plain pasture and new greenway, one new access road ("Haw River Drive"), landscaping, tree preservation, water, sewer and storm drainage. The plan is currently being reviewed by the Technical Review Committee (TRC), the first official step in the Conditional Zoning approval process.

We have added a link to a Development Guide on our Rezoning and Development Process page. This comprehensive document, published by Mountain Xpress, explains how projects get approved in Buncombe County and features tips for effective public comment.

In addition, we have added a new Frequently Asked Questions page that answers the most common questions related to this project.

HCCA has prepared a list of questions regarding the proposed development plan and will be meeting with the City’s planning department on Monday, January 22, to get clarification on a number of points.

Together with the 767 Working Group, we are designing a unified and winnable response to City Council. We have a plan to organize and mobilize the community to oppose this development as it is proposed. See our 767 Development page for details.