[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6540639,"mediaKeyId","3378926-5f79b8032756fa89e0ca292025240564","parentId",3378926,"title","Planners advance Beaver Dam zoning text amendment; public hearing set for June","audioSeconds",3374,"startMs",1205000,"endMs",4579000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3378926-5f79b8032756fa89e0ca292025240564&start=1205&end=4579","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3378926-5f79b8032756fa89e0ca292025240564/thumbnail_1205000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6540639/Buncombe-County/North-Carolina/Planners-advance-Beaver-Dam-zoning-text-amendment-public-hearing-set-for-June","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6540639-981631c90b23323121984df4413c0946/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157325&Signature=aeDd88W-a4MUET3rQjDF2l~I4yfNOKFCAHJaiWDBScmkqau6BiEA8Mta983yVoETb1SNCq4~pXWH3QqxukKALxU3g8us-4PMSFxrfu-z7D8YlHbc3cSpY44gqTIEIZg3uKKBuBB37SkC0mMekITkdZuu-iPuNFqhDTc-Vpz5Uj1bc-K9bJB54co8ilmxZjX6nvJ7rC4VtJkz-t7kQRoqoyMAeeyoNH47NDIaeUDc9zU3gWqJBQQxZGl0Z~ycWLd0sCdcOXu0Tx287lFoxxPL5Q2tzbJ-WGoFiKGlmKhtXuq4c5xjHUwe-Q4rvAxFqdOu6JM0NRe99QPiIqesm~SQdg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Buncombe County, NC","date","2025-05-19T13:37:29Z","article","Buncombe County planning staff presented a work session on a proposed text amendment (ZPH2025‑00012) that would revise permitted uses and dimensional requirements for the Beaver Dam Low‑Density Residential district. The board agreed to schedule a public hearing for the amendment in June.

Staff described the proposed changes as part of an effort to modernize legacy Beaver Dam rules that predate county overlay and hillside standards. The proposal would allow up to two dwelling units per lot (attached or detached), permit alternative‑path hillside and conservation subdivision options that cluster development away from steep or environmentally sensitive areas, and add a new column of disturbed/impervious limits tied to lot size for parcels not in overlay protections.

Staff presented data showing roughly 71 percent of the Beaver Dam district (about 2,300 acres) falls inside protective overlays (steep slope or protected ridge) and about 29 percent (roughly 1,000 acres) would be subject to the revised base standards. Under the draft dimensional table, minimum lot sizes outside sewer would be 30,000 square feet and 20,000 square feet when served by public MSD sewer. The table would also replace an existing acreage‑based disturbance limit with percentage limits by lot size: no percentage limit for lots under 0.5 acre; 80% disturbance / 60% impervious for 0.5–1 acre; 60% disturbance / 45% impervious for 1–4 acres; 40%/30% for 5–9 acres; and 30% disturbance / 20% impervious for lots of 10 acres or more. Staff said overlay areas retain stricter controls (for example, much lower disturbance and impervious caps and required geotechnical reports) and that overlay standards would continue to govern where applicable.

Staff emphasized the change would simplify standards (removing several Beaver Dam‑only footnotes and an average natural‑slope calculation previously used to determine lot standards) and would make the district consistent with other county zoning. “We are proposing to bring Beaver Dam into the same set of regulations that everybody else has,” a staff member explained during the presentation.

Board members asked clarifying questions about the overlay definition, how tree‑screening and height are measured in overlay areas, how septic systems are treated for disturbance calculations, and whether the proposed changes would make subdivision or development less costly and simpler in Beaver Dam. Staff said the overlay includes slope stability mapping from the North Carolina Geological Survey and that geotechnical reports and native‑species tree screening remain required in overlay areas. Staff also said the disturbance/impervious percentages were developed with input from county stormwater and erosion control staff and by testing typical development scenarios (for example, an 1,800‑square‑foot home with driveway and septic footprint) to ensure reasonable buildability while discouraging mass grading.

The board provided direction to schedule a public hearing for the text amendment at the June meeting; staff asked members to advise if they will be absent over the summer so hearings and subsequent items can be scheduled around member availability. No public comment was taken at the work session; staff said public notice and additional outreach will occur before the scheduled hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Planning Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Buncombe County planning staff outlined proposed amendments to the Beaver Dam low‑density residential district to allow up to two dwelling units per lot, add new disturbance and impervious‑surface limits by lot size, and align Beaver Dam rules with county‑wide overlay standards. The board agreed to schedule a public hearing in June.","taxTitle","Buncombe County, North Carolina","taxId",3914,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6540644,"Buncombe planning board recommends rezoning of Clark's Chapel glass studio",879,298000,1177000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3378926-5f79b8032756fa89e0ca292025240564&start=298&end=1177","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3378926-5f79b8032756fa89e0ca292025240564/thumbnail_298000.jpg","/articles/6540644/Buncombe-County/North-Carolina/Buncombe-planning-board-recommends-rezoning-of-Clarks-Chapel-glass-studio","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6540644-f847146126f9902a00e0864a039c2b13/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157325&Signature=l8SHQ1g47xeJGKxnZ529eNr6HcjwB0I3-Xg4HKeYSfyz3JbUo2zJjqckgrAe27thuBmYFIrEHitZ-CgdviSiFfxQaubEshrTEt7wknHcYhHNiQz0mby~-4MqI9ijn7L93XA0v~dqfmdl6S9xjaZ45W9yj~-5B71ewAr1HwoGFD5acMq0u8fbgJsCBG4Lj3GXbj5baWE2Z80xbLV3GnPvca-wzwPNc60T61GGyK1xhMSJeX~gP2NdJb6IamzFlsKqYEF05eoIHxsomfH7tW96E7HxcUL-o5WmiiwM9FPLDAsExVbtU-Bnz0EWOtG49DGI-JPzrRtu0QImrV74tAE1sw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Buncombe County Planning Board voted to recommend approval of a map amendment to rezone a 0.73‑acre parcel at 60 Clark's Chapel Road from R‑3 (residential) to CS (Commercial Service), a change staff said would bring an existing glass‑blowing business into compliance with county zoning.

Planner Britton Sleuther of the county long‑range team led the staff presentation, saying the parcel is currently used as a glass studio and gallery and is served by public water and a private septic system. “The area to be rezoned is 0.73 acres. The current use is a glass blowing studio,” Britton Sleuther said, adding that the request aligns with the Buncombe County 2043 comprehensive plan’s Mixed Use Area 2 designation.

The staff report noted the rezoning would allow a broader set of uses and slightly different dimensional standards: minimum lot sizes would decrease if sewer becomes available, setbacks would change, and the maximum allowed building height would increase under CS. Surrounding parcels immediately across the road are already zoned CS and contain commercial uses including a mulch yard and a pottery and woodworks studio; adjoining property to the south includes Clark's Chapel church and cemetery. Staff identified a very small pocket (about 5,000 square feet) of moderate slope‑stability hazard on the parcel but said the remainder of the site is outside mapped moderate hazard and that the small area did not make the request inconsistent with plan policies.

Owner and applicant Michael Hatch, identified in the record as Michael Hatch of Michael Hatch Glass Company, told the board the studio has operated at that location for more than 10 years and that the rezoning would “bring their use into compliance with the existing zoning for the county.” He also said the only neighbor who approached him expressed concern about having their own property rezoned to commercial; Hatch told the board he explained the county would not rezone neighboring properties because of this request.

After closing the public hearing, a board member moved to approve the rezoning based on staff’s recommendation and a second was recorded. The board chair called for the vote; members present voted in favor with no recorded opposition. The board’s recommendation is advisory; the matter will be scheduled for consideration by the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, which will hold its own public hearing and decision on the zoning map amendment.

Staff said the applicant will be notified when the commission schedules the item. No conditions or amendments to the request were included in the planning board recommendation.","The Buncombe County Planning Board unanimously recommended approval of a map amendment to rezone a 0.73-acre parcel at 60 Clark's Chapel Road from R-3 to Commercial Service (CS), bringing a longtime glass‑blowing studio into conformity with county zoning. The recommendation goes to the county commission for final action.","actionData","errors"]

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Planners advance Beaver Dam zoning text amendment; public hearing set for June

Buncombe planning board recommends rezoning of Clark's Chapel glass studio