New 'major' subdivisions coming to Arden, Swannanoa

Christian Smith, Asheville Citizen Times
·3 min read
Plans showing the proposed Focus Homes subdivision in relation to the Mallard Run subdivision in Arden.
Plans showing the proposed Focus Homes subdivision in relation to the Mallard Run subdivision in Arden.

Two new subdivisions with a combined 45 lots are coming near the Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa and off Glenn Bridge Road in Arden.

Both are considered "major subdivisions" by the county because they are bigger than 11 lots, but because they are only subdivisions, they do not require a Buncombe County Board of Adjustment hearing. Instead, they only require county staff to review applications and related documents.

"Our subdivision review volume (of various types) ranges from 100’s to 1000’s per year," Buncombe County Planning Director Nathan Pennington said in an email. "Some smaller level reviews take place within a matter of days, while other large scale subdivisions can take weeks if not months depending on level of complexity and workloads of other design professionals (surveyors, engineers) and agencies that are involved in the review."

Both site plans show only subdivided lots and new roads, not planned homes. However, applications show that both subdivisions will be served by public water and sewer.

Following are details about the two subdivisions, which in total represent around 30 acres of county land.

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Focus Homes Subdivision

The proposed location of the Focus Homes subdivision in Arden, which is represented by the closed off parcels of land, in relation to nearby landmarks like the French Broad River and I-26.
The proposed location of the Focus Homes subdivision in Arden, which is represented by the closed off parcels of land, in relation to nearby landmarks like the French Broad River and I-26.

Address: 53 Mallard Run Drive, Arden.

Number of Lots: 28.

Lot Size: 0.14 to 0.27 acres, with most lots around 0.20 acres.

Property Size: 23.87 acres.

Developer: Windsor Built Homes, which did not respond to a request for comment.

More Details: Avery Creek runs through the west side of the property, another stream runs through its middle, and wetlands can be found on the south side of the property.

As a result, the subdivision has a considerable amount of open space. The property is zoned Employment District, according to its application, which allows for up to 12 units per acre, but the subdivision is proposed to have only a little over one unit per acre.

According to the county's zoning ordinance, the Employment District zoning is "primarily intended to provide appropriately located sites for employment concentrations primarily for office uses, industrial uses, storage and warehousing, and wholesale trade," but that the district can "also include sites suitable for supportive activities such as community service, commercial service, and residential uses."

The subdivision is proposed to connect to the Mallard Run subdivision on Glenn Bridge Road.

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Sherwood Subdivision

The site plans for the proposed Sherwood Subdivision, which looks to put 17 lots on 5.6 acres in Swannanoa.
The site plans for the proposed Sherwood Subdivision, which looks to put 17 lots on 5.6 acres in Swannanoa.

Address: 243 New Salem Rd, Swannanoa.

Number of Lots: 17.

Lot Size: 0.19 to 0.37 acres, with most lots around 0.28 acres.

Property Size: 5.6 acres.

Developer: New Salem Development Company LLC is listed as the land owner or developer on the application but was likely created a different development company to develop this project, which is a standard practice. John Simpson, the contact listed on the application for the company, declined to comment.

Details: While the majority of the lots will be on a private road built just for the subdivision called Azalea Ridge Way, which will connect to New Salem Road, three lots will be on the nearby Little John Lane, which will not directly connect to Azalea Ridge Way.

The property is zoned R-1 Residential District, which is "primarily intended to provide locations for single-family and two-family residential development and supporting recreational, community service, and educational uses in areas where public water and sewer services are available or will likely be provided in the future," the county's zoning ordinance says.

Because it is in the R-1 Residential district, the subdivision could have to 10 units per acre, but it has around only three units per acre.

Christian Smith is the general assignment reporter for the Asheville Citizen-Times. Questions or comments? Contact him at RCSmith@gannett.com or 828-274-2222.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: New 'major' subdivisions coming to Arden, Swannanoa