The 26-acre property at 767 New Haw Creek Road is currently under contract with a new buyer. The sale is in the due diligence period and is currently expected to close this fall. Once the sale is finalized, the transaction will become public information.

The buyer proactively reached out to the Haw Creek Community Association and met informally with several board members and neighborhood residents. He shared that he leads an Asheville-based residential construction company with nearly two decades of experience building high-performance, sustainable custom homes in the region. He also shared that he intends to live on the property.

Plans for the property are still in the early stages and may evolve as the project moves forward. In his conversation with HCCA and area residents, he emphasized thoughtful residential design, responsible site planning, environmental stewardship, and sensitivity to the property's natural setting.

We recognize that a property of this size is of significant interest to the surrounding community. The prospective buyer has expressed a desire to maintain an open dialogue with neighbors as plans take shape.

Once the sale officially closes and plans become more defined, we expect to be able to provide the community with additional details about the property and what may be planned for the site.

As part of the City's ongoing sidewalk improvements, the portion of New Haw Creek Road along the entire project area will be milled and resurfaced beginning Friday, August 14.

Resurfacing work will take place on weekdays during daytime work hours, from 7 am to 6 pm and is expected to be completed by Wednesday, August 19, weather permitting. Lane closures are expected during work hours.

Originally, asphalt paving was scheduled as the final construction task. However, because of delays in the concrete work, the City decided to move the asphalt work forward and complete it before school resumes. This will help minimize disruptions to school traffic and allow the contractor to make the most efficient use of the longer summer work hours.

What’s Next

Work will continue on the remaining sidewalk installation. The contractor will also install pedestrian guardrails along portions of the sidewalk where there is an unsafe drop-off. The City’s code includes specific requirements for slopes and elevation changes adjacent to walking surfaces, and the guardrails will be installed in accordance with those requirements.

Beginning Thursday, August 20, when the school year resumes, the contractor will return to a work schedule with no lane closures from 7–9 am and 2–6 pm. This schedule is intended to minimize impacts during peak school-traffic periods.

The project remains on track for completion by the end of 2026.

The City of Asheville is updating its Traffic Calming Policy and is asking residents to weigh in on how the policy should guide future traffic calming requests and treatments.

The revised policy is intended to provide clearer direction for community members seeking traffic calming measures in their neighborhoods, as well as for City staff responding to those requests.

As part of the update, the City is gathering public feedback through an online survey. Residents can identify and rank priorities for the revised policy, weigh potential trade-offs, and share their experiences with traffic calming in their neighborhoods.

Residents are encouraged to take the survey and share it with others who may be interested in the policy update.

Feedback from the survey will be reviewed by City staff and the project consultant and will help inform the development of the updated Traffic Calming Policy.

Take the Traffic Calming Policy survey.

For additional information and project updates visit PublicInput’s Asheville Traffic Calming project page.

Read the City’s existing Traffic Calming Policy.

On June 1, 11 volunteers descended on the East Asheville Library to fill the three concrete planter boxes out front with over 400 native plant plugs — and despite this summer's drought, the meadow is establishing beautifully, thanks to a dedicated crew who've kept up watering duty ever since.

This project, dubbed Earthworms and Bookworms Unite, is a collaboration between HCCA and the Friends of the East Asheville Library. All plants are natives, grown for us by Wildbud Natives, and planted in a meadow-style design meant to attract native pollinators right in the heart of the neighborhood.

What used to be bare concrete boxes are now on their way to becoming a thriving, buzzing patch of habitat—proof that even small spaces can do real ecological work when a community shows up for them.

The City of Asheville has posted an update to our New Haw Creek Road sidewalk project.  Please read on for a progress report and update on summer hours for lane closures:

Current Progress and Next Steps

The New Haw Creek Sidewalk project continues to move along and remains on track for completion in late 2026. We're happy to report that the project team has reached significant milestones:

• Underground Stormwater Work: 100% Completed
  
• Retaining Walls: Nearly finished
  
• What's Next: Crews will transition into surface work (which means we will start seeing the actual sidewalk take shape!)
  

Summer Schedule Changes (Starting June 11)

To accelerate construction progress while school is out, the contractor will implement longer lane closure hours throughout the summer months. When schools start again in August, the contractor will resume the normal schedule with no lane closures from 7 a.m. - 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. - 6 p.m.

We appreciate your continued patience and caution while driving through the work zone as we build a safer, more walkable community!

Questions?

Contact us by reaching out to the Capital Projects Division Manager, Dustin Clemens, at dclemens@ashevillenc.gov.

Connect Buncombe leadership recently presented the Haw Creek Community Association with a $5,000 contribution to support the development of the Haw Creek Park Greenway. The check presentation took place on Wednesday, April 22, at the East Asheville Library.

Beyond their financial support, the Connect Buncombe team has played an important role in the project’s early stages. Their guidance and expertise have been especially valuable as we worked through initial planning and development efforts.

The Haw Creek community gathered on March 11 for the annual meeting of the community association, welcoming new leadership, celebrating past accomplishments, and looking ahead to an exciting year.

Four new members—Danielle Arostegui, Jonathan Connolly, Chris Fleming, and Daniel Sanders—were elected to the board, joining re-elected incumbents Michelle Decker, Christina Maggi, and Renate Rikkers (see all board member bios). With the addition of these new voices, the board brings a renewed depth of expertise, fresh perspectives, and energy for the year ahead.

Following the election, the board selected officers for the coming year:

• Michelle Decker, President
• Christina Maggi, Vice President
• Christina Quetel, Treasurer
• Danielle Arostegui, Secretary

A highlight of the evening was celebrating community leadership, with remarks from Mayor Esther Manheimer, who recognized the many accomplishments of the Haw Creek Community Association under the leadership of Chris Pelly during his remarkable 19 years of service. His dedication and steady leadership helped make Haw Creek safer, stronger, and more connected, leaving a lasting impact on the neighborhood.

There was strong community participation: approximately 85 neighbors attended the meeting, along with several special guests:

• Bo Hess, City Council Member
• Jackie Stepp, Interim Police Chief
• Carrie Lee, Asheville Police Department Community Resource Officer for East Asheville

A presentation highlighted a productive 2025 for the association, including:

• Securing full funding for the Haw Creek Park Greenway
• Launching the Firewise Community Project to improve wildfire preparedness
• Hosting 6 educational programs, 2 community meetings, and 12 community events

Even more is planned for the coming year. Key goals include:

• Building and opening the Haw Creek Park Greenway
• Continuing implementation of the Firewise Community Project
• Planting 400 native wildflowers in planter boxes at the library
• Expanding community events and neighborhood gatherings

Residents were encouraged to get involved by joining one of the associations's five committees, which help manage much of HCCA’s day-to-day work. There are also many opportunities for neighbors to volunteer on an occasional basis.

The evening concluded with a chance to meet neighbors and reconnect at a dessert social featuring 100 choux à la crème generously donated by RendezVous. A sweet finish to the evening!

Photos by Gabriel Swinney

On March 7, a dozen energetic volunteers from HCCA’s Clean & Green Committee completed a massive cleanup at and around our main entrance and sections of the creek. They collected a total of 18 bags of litter plus a truckload of large items, including a shopping cart, two area rugs, and a metal tub from a washing machine. Some of the debris was likely remnants from Hurricane Helene.

One volunteer dug out a storm drain that had two feet of mud in it, while others focused on cleaning up around the Welcome to Haw Creek entrance sign. They even washed the dirt off the sign! 

The entire entrance area now looks pristine: no trash, no stray signs, the welcome sign area uncluttered and spring-ready, and the islands and sidewalks swept clean.

This is just one example of the many accomplishments of our local volunteers over the years. HCCA’s “Litter Brigade” was started 30 years ago by a small group of board members and community volunteers. Asheville GreenWorks later joined the effort, providing safety training, organizational expertise, and even bringing several groups of strong young helpers for badly needed creek cleanups.

Over three decades, a long line of Haw Creek volunteers have made tremendous contributions to keeping our neighborhood clean and green.

If you’d like to join this enthusiastic group, simply email HCCA at info@hawcreekavl.com.

On December 16, The Asheville Watchdog published an opinion column by John Boyle titled “Yep, NIMBYism has reared its ugly head in Haw Creek development imbroglio.” The column included quotes from HCCA President Chris Pelly related to the proposed 767 New Haw Creek development. 

Given the difficult options, and their potential impact, neighbors have worked long and hard to achieve some kind of a resolution. Not all agree on what that looks like, or what is possible. Chris Pelly's stated intention in speaking with the columnist was to encourage constructive dialogue by involving an independent third party, with the hope of helping neighbors find common ground. Unfortunately, the result was the opposite. The column heightened tensions and deepened divisions within our community. 

Members of the HCCA board were not aware that Chris planned to meet with the columnist, and the resulting article came as a surprise. While this was not a board-approved action, we recognize that Chris was quoted as speaking on behalf of the entire board. For that reason, we believe it is important to respond. 

We want to state clearly: the HCCA board believes the column portrays our neighbors in an unfair light. That is, the term used by the columnist is one we would never use to describe members of our community. Over the past three years of navigating the complex 767 issue, neighbors have disagreed—and continue to disagree—but board members have strived to hear all sides and avoid name-calling. 

Moving forward, we are committed to rebuilding trust throughout the Haw Creek valley. Our role is to represent all residents. We are volunteers who give our time in service of HCCA’s mission: to enrich lives, protect our natural beauty, and promote safety throughout the Haw Creek valley. We pledge to continue doing our best to uphold these goals. 

In March, six seats will open on the HCCA board. Chris Pelly will not seek reelection. We welcome any Haw Creek valley resident to nominate themselves or a neighbor for a board position. A description of board responsibilities is listed on the website. 

Nominations may be submitted by contacting a member of the Nominating Committee using the public contact form links below:

Doug Baughman: https://hawcreekavl.com/Sys/PublicProfile/SendEmail/66626456

Liz Polfus: https://hawcreekavl.com/Sys/PublicProfile/SendEmail/68533251

Christina Quetel: https://hawcreekavl.com/Sys/PublicProfile/SendEmail/68645942

On Wednesday, December 17, Mayor Manheimer performed the official ribbon cutting, opening the new pedestrian bridge over Haw Creek that now connects the large parking lot to the businesses on the other side. This bridge will enable pedestrians to cross without stepping into traffic on Beverly Road, eliminating a longtime safety concern. 

The Mayor was joined by Creekside Taphouse owners Anthony Dorage and Kim Murray, Civil Engineer Chris Day, and General Contractor Thomas Wolfe (all four instrumental to the success of this project as well as being Haw Creek residents), along with HCCA board members.

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 has been provided by Creekside Taphouse.

Technical difficulties involving FEMA flood elevations delayed building the bridge over Haw Creek, which utilized the existing AT&T girder. In addition, the contractor had to make changes in the design to secure permit approval.

Significant community improvements can take time to realize. HCCA had been quietly advocating for this long-needed pedestrian bridge since 2021, and we can now celebrate the completion of this important safety improvement.

Photograph by Gabriel Swinney with Swinney Creative (Haw Creek resident)