No vote taken on 74-unit condo development proposed near Biltmore Lake

ASHEVILLE - The vote on Wilderness Ridge, a controversial 74-unit condo development proposed for Reeves Cove Road near Biltmore Lake, was continued again during the Jan. 10 Board of Adjustment meeting. The continuation came after a hot debate over traffic and sight-lines from the proposed intersection along the windy Candler road were the main subject of debate.

The last full hearing on the proposal, an Oct. 11 meeting, left off with attorney Brian Gulden — representing Wilderness Ridge — bringing forth multiple expert witnesses, who spoke on civil engineering and steep slopes, just before an expert witness spoke on traffic.

The development has seen strong opposition from Lorretta Higdon and Amanda Campbell, resident who found legal standing against the 74-unit condo project. They are supported by Save Reeves Cove, a Candler-based community group opposed to the project that has raised over $10,000 to support Higdon's and Campbell's legal battle.

Concerns over traffic analysis findings, new data

At the meeting, Gulden called engineer David Hyder to speak on a traffic analysis paid for by Wilderness Ridge to address traffic concerns. The discussion of the new data from a traffic analysis, however, drew concerns.

During the beginning of his testimony, Hyde began to mention data from an updated December traffic analysis not yet submitted to the board, while current data submitted to the planning board had been from a September study. Land-use attorney John Noor — representing Campbell and Higdon — objected.

At the Nov. 5 meeting, Gulden had introduced materials that had not previously been produced to the Board of Adjustment — violating a Board of Adjustment bylaw that states materials for the quasi-judicial hearing must be received five days prior to the meeting.

As such, Noor protested the inclusion of the December study data in Hyder's expert testimony.

"I mean, this is the same thing that happened last year. Information is being given to the board that has not been provided us first time we heard about a second measurement for the traffic counts was during the testimony that occurred right now," Noor said.

"If you did this in a court of law, do you believe that a judge would allow you to move forward?" asked Buncombe County Attorney Curt Euler.

"Absolutely!" Gulden responded. "There's no doubt in my mind that a judge would allow the expert to make a determination as to whether or not anything has changed."

"On information that you never provided to the other side?" Euler asked.

After Gulden noted testimony from another expert witness had not been submitted to the board, Euler asked: "Does that make it right?"

Exhibits Wilderness Ridge by whofmann on Scribd

Noor's objection was sustained by Board Chair Andy Ball and Gulden appealed the decision. The appeal was unanimously shot down.

Despite the objection, Hyder's testimony on a previously submitted Sept. 7 traffic analysis continued, where the engineer explained that the study displayed the road was similar to others in Buncombe.

"Essentially, my assessment of this is that this is not substantially different from any number of roads in Buncombe County," Hyder said. "It has a very similar crash profile."

Moreover, Hyder contended that the additional cars would not necessarily create further crashes.

"I will say that crashes are correlated with traffic, but not inherently caused by traffic," Hyder said.

A total of 535 additional trips along the road are expected to be generated as a result of the project, according to documents submitted by Wilderness Ridge.

What does the other side say?

David Findley, associate director of the Institute for Transportation Research and Education, testified on behalf of Higdon and Campbell.

Findley, who is a certified engineer and adjunct professor at N.C. State University, had visited the site in October.

"It is my opinion that there would be an adverse effect on the health and safety of persons residing and or working in the neighborhood," Findley said.

Findley pointed to the poor intersection sight distance at the proposed intersection for the new development as a primary fault of the current plan, where the windy road and "very thick vegetation" pose a possible problem for those who are looking to turn out of the intersection.

"For a few months of the year, you may be able to see through the curve, but in the majority of the year with vegetation on those trees, you're not going to see through that inside of that curve to see opposing vehicles.

"The ingress and egress location, as it's currently designed, and the proposed site plan will be detrimental to the health and safety of people," Findley said.

A major aspect of the traffic analysis was discussion of crash types and the possibility of further crashes. A fatal crash was most recently reported on Reeves Cove Road in 2014.

The meeting wrapped up before the board asked Higdon and Campbell's expert witness questions, meaning the next Board of Adjustment meeting will start with further testimony from Findley.

Exhibits Higdon by whofmann on Scribd

What is the 'Wilderness Ridge' proposal?

Asheville-based Wilderness Ridge LLC is the applicant for the development, which was applied for by Kevin Kerr. 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. A small front and backyard are planned, as well, with exteriors of wood and stone.

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

Of the 35 units, 31 are proposed to be duplexes and four triplexes.

A Change.org petition organized against the development by Save Reeves Cove has gained over 1,900 signatures, according to the petition site. The group cites traffic and dangerous steep-slope development as primary concerns on its website.

Previously, board member Carla Barnard compared the development's approval process to the 2020 Crossroads at West Asheville development, which ended with a developer agreeing to a $190,000 settlement to a local community group.

The development has seen an extensive seven-month process through the quasi-judicial board, where the project's continuation marks the sixth time it has visited the once-a-month, four-hour long meeting in the past year.

The application was first heard in May 2023.

All other items from the Board of Adjustment meeting were continued to a later date, with several likely to come to the board during the Feb. 14 meeting.

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More: 'Save Reeves Cove' finds traction, nets 1,800 signatures as Board of Adjustment drags on

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: 74-unit condo project proposed near Biltmore Lake sees traffic debate