City Council approves two controversial housing developments

Hendersonville City Council voted on June 2 to approve rezoning for residential developments on previous farmland off of Tracy Grove Road and on a woodland area at the corner of Signal Hill Road and Duncan Hill Road, despite concerns from 16 community members about the environmental, traffic and local residence impact.

The development off of Tracy Grove Road, called the Washburn Tract Development, is planned to consist of 300 apartment units and 161 single family homes, while conserving a 100-year floodplain over 86% of the land through Conserving Carolina and passed with a 3-2 council vote, with council members Jerry Smith and Debbie Roundtree voting against. The development on the corner of Signal Hill Road and Duncan Hill Road, called Duncan Terrace, is planned to consist of 132 apartment units, with 25% of the units dedicated to low-income residence for 15 years, and passed unanimously after the developer agreed to plant more large canopy trees.

"The neighbors and the residents are at over 40 plus hours of public meetings right now, with over seven months worth of neighborhood compatibility meetings... tree board meetings and multiple planning board meetings," community member Lynne Williams said during the public comment period for the Washburn Tract Development. "We ask the council to come to this public hearing with an open mind and not a pre-decided vote or bias to the decision before starting."

Washburn Tract Development

On farmland owned by the late North Carolina State Senator Royce “Bo” Thomas, developers plan to put 161 single family homes and 300 apartments in 13 buildings plus a pool and clubhouse over just 14% of the land. The site is only a mile east of downtown, and the developers have stressed the ability development residents will have to easily walk or bike into town.

Proposed roads for the development will exit onto Tracy Grove Road and Wilmont Drive. Wilmont Drive is proposed to receive an improvement, widening it to 24 feet with a six-foot sidewalk. To mitigate traffic concerns, the developer agreed to:

• Construct an Eastbound right turn lane on Dana Road.

• Modify the traffic signal at the intersection of Dana and Tracey Grove Road to accommodate turn lane.

• Construct a Northbound left turn lane at the southeastern Tracy Grove Road entrance.

• Construct a right turn lane at the intersection of Tracy Grove Road and Wilmont Drive.

In order to widen the roads to account for turn lanes, the developers may need to purchase private property. If they are unable, however, the plan states they will ask city or state officials to use eminent domain to acquire the land for the road widening. The developers contacted Conserving Carolina in order to create a conservation easement to protect over 100 acres of floodplain, which will be adjacent to Jackson Park. A greenway is also planned.

Conserving Carolina's Land Protection Director Tom Fanslow said the upland, where the development is happening, does have some wildlife habitat, but that it is common. The area to be protected under the plan, he said, is Conserving Carolina's biggest concern. According to Fanslow, protecting this land with a conservation easement is a "very good idea for the environment and for property owners downstream." The area to be protected also connects to a state rare plant conservation preserve, which the easement would help to protect.

Members of the Hendersonville community have been attempting to stop the plan from passing through input given at a planning board meeting, where six community members spoke against the plan, and at three neighborhood compatibility meetings, where 37 community members spoke against the plan. A motion by the planning board to deny the proposal failed 3-3, and a motion to recommend the proposal passed 4-2.

A petition on Change.org titled "NO Hendersonville Rezoning/Development of Bo Thomas property into 461 units" has 202 signatures.

Traffic caused by the development was a main issue discussed. Community members Sandy Williams, June Miller, Julie Conner, Lynne Williams, Steve Easler and Kathleen Kirkey commented on the development putting more strain on already busy roads not built to sustain heavy use. All members of the council agreed that traffic would be an issue, though Mayor Barbara Volk, Mayor Pro Tempore Lyndsey Simpson and Council Member Jennifer Hensley still voted in favor of the development.

"The proposed size and density of the development cannot be safely supported by the existing transportation network and will create unsafe congestion and traffic, and they are relying on us to use eminent domain to fix the traffic problem on parts of the road that they don't own. So I would argue that is unreasonable," councilmember Smith said.

The development's designation as medium density concerned both community members and councilmember Smith. When calculating density, the developer factored in the land covered by the conservation easement. When considering only the land being developed, community members and Smith said the development should be considered high density and therefore ineligible for this location.

Sustainability and environmental issues were also highlighted. Diane Roads and Lynne Williams spoke about the site's potential as farmland, and wished to see it utilized to grow local food. Lynne Williams also noted potential run-off from pesticides and other household chemicals that may impact the floodplain and the surrounding water supply.

Stephanie Sawyer claimed the woodland area on the property is home to white squirrels, which are protected under Hendersonville city ordinances.

"It's a white squirrel sanctuary, and that's what (chapter 10, article 1, section 3) protects. It says, 'They shall not be hunted. They shall not be killed.' That's their sanctuary. They come into my yard and play." Sawyer said. "So how are we protecting them if we're going to build on them?"

Community members also spoke about the history of the land that will be forgotten if it is developed in the planned way. Sandy Williams, Sawyer, Lynne Williams and Ken Fitch spoke out against development due to their belief that it does not honor the legacy of the late State Senator Thomas. Councilmember Roundtree voted against the development for similar reasons.

"Knowing the history of this farm, having worked this farm, me and my family, for Bo Thomas, our former senator of North Carolina, and I would just like to see his legacy live on, because he did a lot for Hendersonville and Henderson County," Roundtree said.

Duncan Terrace

At the intersection of Signal Hill Road and Duncan Hill Road, Duncan Terrace is planned to include six three-story apartment buildings housing 12 three-bedroom units, 72 two-bedroom units and 48 one-bedroom units. A fourth of the apartments will be designated low-income and be available at a reduced rate to those making under 80% of Hendersonville's Area Median Income.

The site plan proposes access from Duncan Hill Road and Signal Hill Road. Community members  spoke about traffic concerns they had due to the development. Lynne Clark, Jeff Dudley, Lynne Williams and Ken Fitch said that with the amount of development happening around town, traffic will only continue to increase.

Unlike the previous development discussed at the meeting, it was the topic of trees, not traffic, with the most heated discussion during the Duncan Terrace public hearing.

Hendersonville Tree Board member Glenn Lange said the tree board knows the council will approve the plan despite the loss of tree canopy it will cause, so the board wanted to put forward the requirement of 75 additional large canopy trees planted on the site. As the proposal was put forward, Lange said it was incompatible with city goals, strategies, values and beliefs as it relates to tree canopy.

Under the proposed plan, around 240 10-inch trees would be removed from the property, with only 25 trees capable of developing a large canopy planted. Other ornamental trees would be planted, however Lange said they will not contribute to the tree canopy. Councilmember Smith negotiated with the developer to secure 30 of the 75 requested additional large canopy trees.

A full recording of the meeting can be found on the City of Hendersonville YouTube Channel and the agenda packet can be found on the city's website.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: City Council approves two controversial housing developments