From Asheville City Councilwoman Maggie Ullman: The upcoming town hall will bring City, County, and State partners together. Many of our most urgent challenges — housing, recovery, resilience — depend on us working in partnership, and I hope you’ll join us to share your perspective. 

Serving in public office is about listening — and about choosing connection when delay is easy. Please attend our rescheduled Town Hall in East Asheville, where I’ll be joined by State Representative Brian Turner and County Commissioner Drew Ball. We’ll share updates on key issues shaping our community and, most importantly, hear directly from you about your priorities and concerns. 

Wednesday, November 19

6:00 – 8:00 pm

Haw Creek Commons

315 Old Haw Creek Road

Dustin Clemens, Capital Projects Division Manager with the City of Asheville, has provided the following update: Despite operational challenges of maintaining traffic flow on New Haw Creek Road, progress on the sidewalk project continues steadily, and remains on track for completion in late 2026. 

For the last several months, the focus of the project has been on completing approximately 15 utility crossings, mainly for stormwater and water lines. This work requires pavement cuts and patching across New Haw Creek Road, which must be phased in order to keep the road open during lane closure restricted timeframes. To date, 8 of the approximately 15 utility crossings have been installed. 

Once utility work is complete, the contractor will be able to make faster and more visible progress. 

The recent rains did wash out some of the stone in two of the temporary patching areas, which the contractor addressed earlier this week. The City's project manager, on-site construction inspector, and the contractor will continue to monitor the construction site closely. Asphalt cuts are being patched with asphalt paving in accordance with the engineered (and NCDOT approved) plans and specifications.

The entire roadway will be repaved towards the end of the project, so the current temporary patching will not be a permanent condition.

Mr. Clemens thanks residents for their patience as the city works to improve this road for a safer pedestrian experience and a more connected community.

As of today, it appears City Council will vote this Tuesday, Oct. 28, on the proposal to allow a bridge entrance to the 'Meadows at Haw Creek' development at 767 New Haw Creek Road. If approved, this would be a significant departure from the development plan approved in July 2024, which had the subdivision entrance off lower Sleepy Hollow Drive—and required no bridge entrance. 

City Council meetings begin at 5 pm in city hall and this item ought to come up around 6 pm based on the City Council Agenda.

HCCA is opposed to the bridge, especially with our post-Helene awareness of the impact of flooding, as it is expected stormwater runoff will be vastly increased with a significant risk of downstream flooding. 

As proposed, the majority of the 400' bridge is designed to be a roadway with openings over the creek and wetlands. The remainder of the entrance road would be an earthen embankment that will obstruct the free flow of flood waters along the natural watershed of the property. This is why some have described this as a dam. 

Between the embankment design and increased impervious surfaces, as a result of the new subdivision infrastructure, it is expected stormwater runoff will be both vastly increased and, at the same time, worsened due to the bridge design.

HCCA has consistently called for adhering to the development plan approved last year after negotiations between Mayor Manheimer, the developer's team and HCCA leaders. That plan not only reduced the number of housing units from 95 to 84, it protected nearly 5 acres of mature hardwood canopy, much of it backing to Alpine Way homeowners within Happy Valley. The plan also calls for the developer to provide a sidewalk or greenway alongside New Haw Creek Road connecting Bell Road to Sleepy Hollow Drive. Additionally, the negotiated plan expanded buffering on the west side section to provide better natural screening for surrounding neighbors. 

We need your help getting the ‘No Bridge’ message to City Council. If you can, please join us on Tuesday evening. Even if you don't speak at the meeting, your presence will help send a message in opposition to the bridge proposal. You can also contact members of City Council to express your opinion via email—see their contact info below.

Contact info for Asheville City Council members:

Mayor Esther Manheimer

esthermanheimer@avlcouncil.com

Vice-Mayor Antanette Mosley

antanettemosley@avlcouncil.com

Council Member Kim Roney

kimroney@avlcouncil.com

Council Member Sheneika Smith

sheneikasmith@avlcouncil.com

Council Member Sage Turner

sageturner@avlcouncil.com

Council Member Maggie Ullman

maggieullman@avlcouncil.com

Council Member Bo Hess

bohess@avlcouncil.com

On October 10, developer Kevin Jackson asked that Tuesday's vote on a new entrance to the Meadows at Haw Creek subdivision be postponed until October 28. 

As the applicant, this request is the right of the developer. Generally speaking, this action is typically taken if the applicant is uncertain of the outcome of the planned City Council vote.

Developer Kevin Jackson is seeking City Council support for a second entrance into the ‘Meadows at Haw Creek’ development. This in the form of a bridge across Haw Creek on a raised roadway as much as 15' above the wetlands. The proposal calls for two segments of bridge plus earthen berms totaling about 400’ in length and 30’ wide. 

For the reasons below, HCCA leaders oppose the proposed bridge and entrance road. To defeat this risky change, we need your help. Please contact City Council members and ask them to support the plan they already approved last year and oppose this change. 

ashevillenccouncil@ashevillenc.gov

What’s wrong with the proposed bridge?

Upon completion, much of this 27-acre site will transform from natural drainage to impermeable surfaces–roads & homesites–causing stormwater to be funneled into the wetlands and Haw Creek.

• As evidenced during Helene, stormwater overflowed this site and destroyed the former bridge.
  
• Significant sections of the bridge entrance road will be earthen berms, 30’ or more wide and 10’ in height, thereby further constricting stormwater flow. 
  
• A required engineering study to determine bridge feasibility would not occur until after the City Council vote.
  
• The bridge may result in increased downstream flooding of homes and businesses.
  
• The bridge option would alter the previously approved site plan necessitating retaining walls and causing the greenway to dead-end instead of connecting to Sleepy Hollow Drive.

Tropical Storm Helene showed the power of nature and the impact of flooding. It’s up to us to heed this lesson. The proposed bridge and road across Haw Creek and the wetlands would be a mistake with real-world consequences. Please request City Council vote no. 

Additional Information About the Bridge Proposal

After making steady progress this summer, the New Haw Creek Road Sidewalk project will resume a normal schedule in order to accommodate school traffic. Starting Monday, August 18, there will be no lane closures from 7 am - 9 am and 2 pm - 6 pm.

How to stay informed about water outages during the New Haw Creek Sidewalk project.

To facilitate utility connections during the new sidewalk installation, planned water outages will occur periodically throughout construction of the New Haw Creek Sidewalk project. The City of Asheville's Water Resources Department will notify all affected water customers via AVL Alert about any impending service interruptions. The project team will also update subscribers regarding planned water outages via email, but please be aware that unlike AVL Alert, not all email recipients will be impacted by water outages. Sign up for AVL Alert for alerts specific to your address. 

Kevin Jackson, the developer of 767 New Haw Creek Road, hosted a public meeting on July 9, at which he revealed a proposed Amended Plan for the development. The primary change is the addition of a 350’ bridge as the subdivision entrance, a hugely impactful change when considering it must cross fragile wetlands as well as create a new intersection on New Haw Creek Road.

In addition, inclusion of the bridge will likely require construction of retaining walls, up to 10’ tall, which were also not in the originally approved plan. As well, he has proposed the greenway would no longer link to Sleepy Hollow Road and instead dead end short of this location.

The subdivision entrance approved last year came off Sleepy Hollow Drive about 150’ up from New Haw Creek Road. This location is just above the creek, thereby negating the need to build a bridge. This entrance would be below any Happy Valley homes, meaning any additional traffic would be limited to the bottom of Sleepy Hollow Drive. 

As a community, we’re left to ask what should we do? Do we support or oppose the proposed changes? Jackson is seeking a significant change to what was agreed to in 2024. At that time, we were able to negotiate significant concessions* and opposition now could imperil that progress.

On August 28 at 7 pm, HCCA is hosting a community meeting to discuss these plan changes and what our position should be to best represent the Haw Creek community (see the event listing to register). The next opportunity for public input is the Planning & Zoning Commission meeting scheduled for September 3. 

If City Council were to vote against this requested change, it could mean a restart to the entire development process with no guarantees next time, particularly if another developer comes along with a use-by-right application where we have no leverage to negotiate. It’s a lot to ponder before deciding.

When questioned about why these changes are being sought, Jackson cited the original covenants of the Happy Valley subdivision, which some believe would prohibit the proposed entrance. Jackson's development team does not believe the covenants present a legal problem for the proposal. "Our attorneys are of the legal opinion we have the right of way,” he said. However, “Our lender has asked us to pursue a bridge option."

Asheville City Council approved a Master Site Plan for the Meadows at Haw Creek in July 2024. The plan was supported by a 5-1 vote of council members after a nine-month community campaign and negotiations between the City, developer Kevin Jackson, and HCCA leaders. 

*Among the community-desired improvements HCCA  achieved were:

• a reduction in the number of housing units from 95 to 84;
• protection of 1.3 acres of tree canopy on the west side and 4.4 acres on the east side, with provisions for a publicly-accessible trail system in the protected area on the east side;
• installation of a 12’ wide greenway parallel to New Haw Creek Road, running from Sleepy Hollow Drive to Bullman Park;
• extension of New Haw Creek Road sidewalk between Bell Road and the development; and
• expanded tree buffering protections for the west side neighbors.
  

Everyone present wanted to know why the developer of the Meadows at Haw Creek project was back one year after City Council approval, seeking a significant change to the project. 

The answer was revealed by developer Kevin Jackson to the more than 125 residents who attended the city-mandated developer information meeting on July 9 at Evergreen Community Charter School. The reason: The lender financing the project is requiring an entrance bridge off New Haw Creek Road because of uncertainty about the legal viability of the Sleep Hollow entrance. 

Jackson explained, "Our attorney believes we have the legal right to use the Sleepy Hollow entrance; however, our lender has asked us to include the bridge option, and we'll do either." Additionally, he said, "If the bridge is approved, we will abandon the Sleepy Hollow entrance."

Both Jackson and Warren Suggs, the project designer, state that the only changes to the originally approved design would be the new bridge and the addition of a fire department-mandated K-turn at the end of Beargrass Lane (as highlighted in the drawing below). All other conditions from the original plan stay the same. 

Because this is a major change to the Conditional Zoning approved in July 2024, the City’s development review process restarts. This includes a review by the Technical Review Committee (TRC) on August 18, the Planning & Zoning Commission on September 3, and a vote by City Council likely in October (these dates are subject to change).

Additional issues, primarily related to stormwater and lessons learned from Helene, were expressed at the July 9 meeting. The upcoming development review process will provide an opportunity for residents to share their concerns.

A neighborhood informational meeting to discuss a proposed change to the development of 767 New Haw Creek Road has been scheduled for Wednesday, July 9, at 6:00 pm, at the Evergreen Community School Gym, 50 Bell Road.

The 767 developer, Kevin Jackson, is seeking to change the subdivision entrance from Sleepy Hollow Road to New Haw Creek Road, which will require construction of a bridge over Haw Creek. 

Jackson contacted HCCA June 19 about this potential change and said that “Nothing else from the plan previously approved by City Council will change. Number of lots and all other conditions should be unaffected.”  

This amendment to the original plan will require approval by the City of Asheville. Project Planner Sam Starr-Baum said by email "CZ (Conditional-Zoning) amendments largely follow the same process. There will be a neighborhood meeting, TRC review, P&Z review and a vote by City Council. The final TRC permitting process may be abbreviated, but that would not impact opportunity for public input.”

No plans have, or can be submitted until 14 days after the neighborhood meeting.

Construction on the New Haw Creek Road Sidewalk project is kicking into high gear while school is out this summer. Starting Monday, June 16, drivers can expect longer lane closure hours to be in effect through the summer months to accelerate progress. When schools start again in August, the contractor will resume the normal schedule with no lane closures from 7 am - 9 am and 2 pm - 6 pm.

To create space for the new sidewalk, considerable grading and earthwork has been completed on the southwest end of the project area, forming a road shoulder. Temporary seeding has been planted on the exposed soil to prevent erosion as the contractor transitions focus to underground utility relocation. 

Planned water interruption overnight on June 12

A temporary water interruption is scheduled to occur overnight starting at 10 pm on Thursday, June 12, and is expected to be complete by 6 am the following morning. This interruption is necessary to allow for the relocation of water utilities, which must occur before the installation of new stormwater piping and retaining wall foundation. Impacted water customers who are signed up for AVL Alerts will receive a notification from the City of Asheville's Water Resources Department about the planned interruption in water service. The interruption is expected to impact properties on New Haw Creek Road between Beverly Road and Reese Road, and all properties on Bethesda Road.

City staff appreciates everyone's patience as they work to improve pedestrian safety in our neighborhood.