Hendersonville aldermen reject purchase of right-of-way for Drakes Creek area after heated debate

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen of Hendersonville voted 5–8 on Jan. 14 to reject Resolution 2024-47, a measure to approve the purchase of right-of-way at or near the junction of Drakes Creek Road, Avant Lane, Countryside Drive and Anderson Road.

The item drew multiple public comments and extended aldermanic debate about the project’s cost, public notice and whether the city should buy land now to preserve options for future transportation or wait for a traffic-engineering report. Alderman Eddie Robertson sponsored an amendment to fund the purchase from developer contributions tied to Durham Farms; that amendment passed 10–3, but the main resolution failed on final roll call.

Why it matters: Supporters said buying the parcels now would lock in a negotiated price and create options for stormwater and future access improvements; opponents said the city should not spend limited funds on land for a project that has not yet been designed and that residents’ property rights and public notice must be respected.

Public commenters pressed aldermen from multiple neighborhoods. Charles Kimbrough of Durham Farms urged caution, saying the roundabout would “be financially harmful” to nearby homeowners and argued the larger traffic volume is the root cause of collision risk rather than the intersection…