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Tuesday, 23 January 2007 16:55 |
By JIM GENARO
WOODFIN ÇƒÓ What was once a trailer park along the French Broad River may soon be a community of luxury town homes, following the unanimous approval by the Town of Woodfinës Board of Aldermen on Jan 16 of a proposed development on Riverside Drive.
The proposed development would build 40 town homes at the former site of the Woodfin Trailer Park, each ranging in size between 1,200 and 1,800 square feet. The average cost of each home is estimated to be about $350,000.
The townës Zoning Board of Adjustment had already given preliminary approval to the project at its Jan. 8 meeting, assigning the property the newly established Mountain Village zoning designation. However, a final review by the zoning board will be required, pending the developerës submission of completed plans for the project.
Town
Administrator Jason Young praised the project, saying, "It is one that
I consider to be the linchpin of our riverside development."
However, during
the public hearing about the project, some residents had concerns about
potential flooding issues as well as public access to the riverfront.
Resident Julia Gaunt expressed concerns about the propertyës proximity to the river and consequent susceptibility to flooding.
"My concern is
about it being in a flood plain," Gaunt said. "Is this not in an area
that would flood when the waters rise again?"
Mayor Jerry VeHaun replied that the entire property is located above the flood plain.
"We donët
envision any concerns in terms of threats to human health and safety,"
Young added. "You probably would have some water and mildew issues" in
the event of flooding, he said. But he added that during the 2004
floods that damaged many riverfront properties, water "never entered
the trailers" at the site.
Resident Kevin
Innes voiced concern that the project would diminish the amount of land
available for people to walk their dogs. This issue, he noted, was
exacerbated by the recent decision by the homeowners association that
owns Beaver Lake to start charging money for nonmembers who wish to
walk their dogs there.
"In the
interest of adding to the environment that weëd like to create in
Woodfin, itëd be nice if there was some kind of walkway ... or easement
along the water." Innes told the board.
In reply, Young
noted that the proposal calls for a wrap-around walkway that would run
alongside the riverfront and would be open to the public.
"The advantage
of doing a development in the Mountain Village Zoning ... is that it
does require public accessibility," Young added.
Furthermore, the
property is located near a town-owned park where people can walk dogs,
he said. In the big picture, Young noted, the town would like to see a
continuous stretch of riverside walkways for people to walk their pets.
This development is "a small step towards what youëre talking about,"
he added.
Once final approval of the project has been granted, construction could begin within 90 days, according to Young.
In other action, the board:
ï Unanimously approved the townës new master plan for development and zoning.
"I think it looks great," Alderman Donald Honeycutt said of the new plan. "It looks real good, compared to what we had before."
In reply, Young joked, "Thatës the understatement of 2007," prompting laughter from many board members.
ï Unanimously approved an ordinance approving a subdivision along West City View Drive.
ï Unanimously
approved a resolution requesting the approval of the Buncombe County
Board of Commissioners for the town to establish extra-territorial
jurisdiction over Area 3 ÇƒÓ an area that is pending involuntary
annexation by the town.
The resolution
was proposed in light of Buncome Countyës ongoing efforts to develop a
zoning ordinance. If the new rules are passed before Area 3 is
officially annexed about Sept. 2, residents would be temporarily
subject to the new county zoning ordinances, Young said.
"What weëd like
to do is avoid having people go through one set of zoning processes and
then turn around a few months later and have to go through a whole new
process" he added.
ï Heard an
update from Police Chief Brett Holloman, who introduced Officer Mike
Flynn, the newest member of the Woodfin Police Department.
Holloman also
noted that the department has "increased drug-related charges by 32
percent in the past year." He attributed this to the addition of
another officer, as well as training programs that members of the force
have undergone.
"Iëm proud of our officers ÇƒÓ theyëve done a really great job," he added.
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