Asheville council previews housing text amendments, weighs map carve-outs for cottages and flag lots

City of Asheville officials and councilors spent much of the March 6 agenda briefing reviewing competing proposals to change zoning rules for cottage clusters, flag lots and a ‘by-right’ corridor process for multifamily housing, and directed staff to provide additional mapping and market data before the March 11 council meeting.

Planning and urban design director Steph Munson Dahl told council that the resident-led text amendments for cottages and flag lots were submitted by Barry Bialik and that staff had also prepared text amendments to implement housing and transit-supportive corridor changes, parking minimum adjustments and small-district zoning tweaks. Munson Dahl said staff will provide maps and additional analysis to help council consider whether to exclude specific geographies from any changes.

The debate focused on two buckets: (1) the corridor by-right multifamily package, which would allow developers to use an incentive table to gain regulatory relief in exchange for public benefits, and (2) a reconsideration of a citizen-initiated proposal on flag lots and cottage clusters. City Attorney Brad Branham told council that excluding…