185 apartments proposed for Greenville Highway, with affordable units, sees opposition

HENDERSONVILLE - A new 185-apartment development with a number of units designated as "affordable" could be coming to Greenville Highway, city staff and project developers announced at a contentious Dec. 14 neighborhood compatibility meeting centered around the project, where members of the public cited concerns with flooding and impacts to wildlife and trees.

Though specific site plans have not yet been submitted, Eric Mioduski with Washington, D.C.-based Lock 7 Development, said the project looks to put the apartments, plus a clubhouse, pool and walking trails on almost 7 acres. To build the project, Lock 7 is requesting the land, located at 1202 Greenville Highway, be rezoned from Greenville Highway Mixed Use to Greenville Highway Mixed Use Conditional Zoning, the normal procedure for building projects of this size.

"There's a lot of reasons why we like Hendersonville," Mioduski said at the meeting. "We like that there is an authentic downtown with a main street. There's a strong sense of community. Strong schools, it's an area that's experiencing population growth. Overall, there is a great quality of life."

Almost 20 people spoke at the meeting, which was held at the City Operations Center Assembly Room on Williams Street, and dozens more attended. Some had specific concerns around stormwater runoff, noting that it could threaten the already frequently flooding stream that runs across the north end of the property, but most opposed the project outright.

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Speakers' issues with the project ranged from the impact to wildlife living on the forested property to traffic impacts to Greenville Highway and the nearby neighborhood.

Before a project that triggers conditional zoning can go through the approval process, the city requires the developer to hold a neighborhood compatibility meeting where those who live around the property can express their issues and ask questions about the potential project. Using the information gathered at the meeting, the developer and engineers can then incorporate the feedback into the plan instead of trying to change things last minute.

At the time of the neighborhood compatibility meeting, city staff had not reviewed the site plans to see if they meet the zoning code and the city's master plan. The project still needs to go through the city's Tree Board and Planning Board before seeking final approval from City Council. All three meetings are open to the public and allow public comment.

Project specifics

The complex is expected to have around 185 units over seven three-story buildings on 6.76 acres, according to site concept plans. The number of bedrooms each unit will have has not yet been determined, as the developer is still waiting on a market study to make those decisions. Once the study comes back, the developers may add or take away some units from the 185 count, but only a few one way or the other, Mioduski said.

Lock 7 is working with the city on making a portion of the units deemed "affordable," but Mioduski said the specifics have not yet been worked out.

Currently the development is expected to have 240 parking spaces, or 1.3 spaces per unit, which is higher than the zone's required one parking space per unit. A number of the spaces will be partially covered by the buildings, Mioduski said.

The property is also expected to have a swimming pool, a clubhouse, a number of walking trails and open green space, Mioduski said. Lock 7 is dedicated to keeping as many trees as possible on the site, he said, and wants to work with the natural slopes of the property as much as possible.

Project engineer Warren Sugg of Asheville-based Civil Design Concepts, who designed the conceptual plans, said the project will use a StormTech drainage system for stormwater that will filter most rainwater that falls onto the property's hard surfaces back into the groundwater.

He originally said that any overflow would be directed to the stream on the north end of the property, but after hearing concerns from local homeowners, said he would see if it was possible to redirect any overflow toward the city's stormwater system on Greenville Highway.

The site is proposed to have two entrance and exit points, both on Greenville Highway. A traffic study for the project, which will determine if a turn lane or other traffic mitigation effort is required, has not yet been completed.

The project's potential site is located about a mile south of downtown Hendersonville and is surrounded by mixed-use and commercial properties and a neighborhood of single-use homes, according to a map shown by Tyler Morrow, a planner with the city.

"We believe this project will benefit the community by providing high quality, thoughtful missing middle housing close to downtown and activity centers," Mioduski said.

Lock 7 Development is focused on residential properties, especially in areas that are facing housing shortages, which Mioduski said Hendersonville was, according to internal and external research.

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Nearby residents' concerns

Residents' concerns with the project fell largely into one of three categories: stormwater runoff, traffic or wildlife and tree preservation. A number of other issues, like density, parking, increased crime, cultural artifact discovery and historical land value were brought up, but were not common themes throughout the two-hour discussion.

In addition to the in-person speakers, 15 per-submitted comments were received by the city that raised a number of the same issues as the in-person speakers did.

Stormwater mitigation was the topic discussed by the highest number of speakers. The stream on the north end of the property, which resident Charles Webb identified as Johnson Ditch, frequently floods during heavy rains, residents said, and many expressed concerns that the conversion of the primarily wooded property to a primarily paved apartment complex would increase that flooding, even with mitigation efforts in place.

"That stream does flood, and we've gone so far as to build a wall to keep the water out, but it still comes over the wall," resident Dave Hunter said.

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Traffic is already an issue on Greenville Highway, many who spoke at the meeting said, and they believe this project will only make it worse. Some were also concerned that apartment renters would try to use the nearby neighborhood of single-family homes to cut through, and were concerned about the effect that would have on the neighborhood's safety.

The removal of wildlife habitat was a topic spoken about at length by 21-year-old Yazdaan Khan, who said he grew up in Hendersonville and loves it for its natural environment. Others echoed his concerns, noting the amount of wildlife they see live in the partially wooded land that could become the discussed apartment complex.

"I have my window open every day, and I hear the birds chirping and, you know, dogs barking and everything like that, and I enjoy that," Khan said. "I've seen historic and natural wildlife just destroyed from my very eyes, and I just feel like Hendersonville is trying to become the next Asheville or the next Charlotte and trying to expand more than it can."

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Overall, most who spoke said they were against the project, despite many acknowledging the need for more housing in Hendersonville.

"That is not the last one that is going to be built," resident Tom Borgo said about the potential apartment complex. "That's the first one, and as soon as that one is built, it's going to be so much easier to build another."

Christian Smith is a reporter for the USA Today Network. Questions or Comments? Contact him at RCSmith@gannett.com or (828) 274-2222.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Hendersonville could get 185-unit apartment complex Greenville Highway