Candler, Biltmore Lake condo complex approved despite legal opposition, safety concerns

ASHEVILLE - Despite strong community opposition, Wilderness Ridge, a 74-unit condo-complex proposed for a piece of land near Biltmore Lake, was approved to move forward in a 4-3 vote from the Buncombe County Board of Adjustment.

In the end, the vote on the development came down to two traffic studies, which disputed information about the safety of the developments proposed intersection.

As proposed, the development would build its intersection on a windy part of Reeves Cove Road. The area is rated as "Red" by the N.C. Department of Transportation for its dangerous safety score.

In the words of Board Member David Weinstein, the vote was a matter of "who do you believe."

"On one hand, common sense seems to say you can never make that safe. On another, that's the DOT's job to decide," Weinstein said before the vote.

Board of Adjustment Chair Andy Ball said the presentation given by the two residents — Amanda Campbell and Lorretta Higdon — was more convincing, leading him to vote against the development for safety concerns.

A fatal crash was most recently reported on Reeves Cove Road in 2014. In 2018, another crash was recorded just south of the proposed intersection. A bicyclist was seriously injured in a 2022 accident north of the intersection.

The project has seen a nine-month approval process, with the development documents being drafted in December 2022. The process has been marked by the presence of Save Reeves Cove, a large, well-organized community group that has raised funds to support Lorretta and Higdon as they opposed the development.

The group raised nearly $10,000 on GoFundMe, and saw nearly 2,000 signatures on Change.org.

Locals voice their opinion; impromptu closed session

Right before voting, the board heard from witnesses in the case, with a few locals voicing their opinion on the development.

Reeves Cove resident Jeff Buboltz explained how his family avoids walking Reeves Cove Road when heading to a nearby trailhead. Buboltz lives less than a mile from the trailhead, which is just around the corner from the proposed driveway.

"We will drive to the trailhead because it doesn't feel safe to walk on," Buboltz said of Reeves Cove Road. "I could not think of a more dangerous place for the driveway."

After hearing from a few more residents on the development, Buncombe County Attorney Curt Euler suggested the board go into a closed session to receive legal advice on the possible outcomes of the case. Euler noted that due to the tense nature of the case the decision could see an appeal.

After returning from the closed session, board members heard closing arguments about the development, with both sides largely repeating what had previously been discussed regarding their own traffic studies.

When voting on the development, Ball noted the suggestion that came from the closed session: include "findings of fact" as part of the approval so that a higher court could review said findings.

An approval vote passed 4-3, with board members Andy Ball, Joel Mazelis and Craig Allen voting against the development.

Save Reeves Cove member Kate Ogden feels that responsibility for the development was shifted.

While the group is "still processing the ruling and what happens next," Ogden wrote to the Citizen Times Feb. 6, "I feel that they passed the buck to the NCDOT," expressing doubt that the second traffic study would be observed by the NCDOT.

What will 'Wilderness Ridge' bring to Candler?

Asheville-based Wilderness Ridge LLC is the applicant for the development. The development would bring 74 units for Reeves Cove Road in Candler and is adjacent to residential developments to the north and south. The Beaverdam Wildlife Restoration area is to the east.

Each proposed unit consists of a two-car garage on street level with two additional stories above, totaling roughly 2,850 square feet.

The units would be developed along the 2,440-foot elevation ridge. The exact dimensions and architectural design of the units have not been determined.

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Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Biltmore Lake 74-unit condo complex OK'd, despite legal opposition