By JIM GENARO

Merrimon Avenue may soon be the site of two 10-story buildings, as the Asheville Planning and Zoning Commission voted last Wednesday to endorse plans for a mixed-use development at the former Deal MotorCars site.

Plans for the project, called Horizons, include two mid-rise buildings, a 150-room hotel, 86,000 square feet of retail space, 50,000 square feet of office space and 313 residential units, including condominiums on the upper floors of the buildings and townhomes along the propertyís west side.
The plans also include 85,734 square feet of pedestrian plazas, sidewalks and a park above an underground parking garage.

The board voted 5-2 to endorse the developerís request to rezone the 8.5-acre property under the cityís urban-village designation. Currently, it is zoned as highway business, a designation usually reserved for big-box stores. City Council ultimately will decide whether to grant the rezoning request.

During public comments, most speakers ó many of whom owned property nearby ó expressed enthusiasm for the project overall.

However, the height of the two tallest buildings gave cause for concern to many who attended the public forum.

Benjamin Gillum, who spoke on behalf of the Five-Points Neighborhood Association, said that while his organization endorses the project in general, the two 10-story buildings would be ìdrastically out of scale with the surrounding buildings.î

He urged the city to limit the height of the buildings to 60 feet ó the maximum currently allowed there.

When Board Vice Chair Steven Sizemore asked how he came up with this height limit, Gillum replied that 60 feet was ìthe most our members would agree to.î

Other speakers echoed this sentement.

One woman, who identified herself as a member of the Five-Points association, said that while there are ìlots of things about this project that we like ... these buildings would dwarf everything around them.î

However, attorney Louis Bissette, who represents the developers, said that the height is necessary to make it economically feasible for the project to include many of the design features requested by neighbors.

These include underground parking, a buffer of townhomes along Holand Street and LEED certification ó a standard of environmental sustainability.

These features, all of which were suggested by neighbors, ìsimply cannot be provided unless you get the density required,î Bissette said.

He added that the plans originally had called for the two largest buildings to be 13 stories, but developers reduced their proposed heights at the urging of residents.

He noted that the developer had participated in more than 40 meetings with groups and individuals in the adjoining neighborhood.

Bissette also addressed concerns about traffic and stormwater runoff.

He said that the property plans to build turn lanes onto Merrimon Avenue and a traffic signal, which ìmight actually improve traffic conditions.î

Furthermore, Bissette said, the development will be decreasing the amount of impervious surfaces ó those that do not absorb stormwater ó by converting some of what is currently a parking lot into parks and green spaces.

Meanwhile, Steve Rasmussen, an Asheville resident, expressed concerns about the historic value of a stone wall and stone pillars located on the property. These artifacts are all that remains of the estate of George Willis Pack, which used to sit on the property.

Rasmussen said that the stone structures are ìvery important historically for Ashevilleî and urged the developers to keep them intact.