Biltmore Church and Waynesville Golf Club projects slated for public hearings

Becky Johnson, The Mountaineer, Waynesville, N.C.
·1 min read

Feb. 24—Public hearings for two development projects are on the docket for the Waynesville Planning Board meeting Monday: the Biltmore Baptist Church campus by the roundabout on the Old Asheville Highway and 25 new single-family homes on the property of Waynesville Inn and Golf Club.

Biltmore Baptist Church, a mega church based in Buncombe County, is proposing to build a 25,000-square-foot building on a vacant 8-acre tract flanking the roundabout at the intersection of the Old Asheville Highway and Ratcliff Cove. The building will include a 416-seat worship center, stage, grade-school and pre-school worship rooms and multiple classrooms, according to the application.

One of the issues to be determined by the planning board is whether to waive the town's sidewalk requirements for new developments. Given the size of its tract, Biltmore Baptist would be required to construct 1,600 feet of sidewalk at an estimated cost of $130,000, according to the application.

Planning staff does not recommend waiving the sidewalk requirement due to the desire to create an "inviting streetscape and pedestrian connections" along the main thoroughfare.

Also on the agenda are two residential construction projects within the 102-acre property of Waynesville Inn and Golf Club.

One calls for 12 single-family homes on 3.5-acres along Country Club and Longview Drive. The other calls for 13-single family homes on 11-acres off Greenview Drive.

The developer is seeking various exemptions, including smaller lots sizes and civic space, sidewalk and landscaping requirements.

The planning board meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26, on the second floor of new town hall on Main Street in Waynesville.