Buncombe Board of Adjustment approves revised PUD for Arden Ridge Apartments

The Buncombe County Board of Adjustment voted to approve a revised special-use permit for a planned unit development at 101 Sumner Drive in Arden, authorizing Arden Investors 270 LLC to build 270 apartment units on a 25.45-acre parcel.

The decision follows a quasi-judicial hearing in which county staff and three expert witnesses presented evidence on site design, traffic impacts and property-value effects. Savannah Glantz, county planning staff, opened the case and certified that "this public hearing is properly noticed and all applicable parties are notified of the meeting in accordance with general statutes and county code." She asked that applicant and staff materials be entered into the record; hearing no objection, they were admitted.

The board’s approval matters because it revises a previously approved PUD that originally authorized fewer units and imposes conditions intended to address public-safety and infrastructure impacts.

Staff summary and applicant presentation Savannah Glantz told the board the revision is to ZPH-2020-518 (presented originally in September 2024) and that the project name was changed from River’s Edge to Arden Ridge Apartments to avoid duplication with another file in the county system. Glantz summarized staff recommendations and noted a late, minor modification to the clubhouse square footage had been submitted this week.

Craig Justice, representing the applicant, introduced three professional witnesses and summarized project changes from the prior approval. Justice said the prior approval allowed 180 units; after the parcel sale in December 2024 and the approval of an adjoining Windsor Autry subdivision, a secondary drive connection became feasible and the applicant proposed increasing the overall unit count to 270. Justice said the development will be served by public water and sewer and will maintain substantial perimeter tree cover.

Engineering, traffic and market testimony Jared DeRidder, a licensed professional engineer with WGLA Engineering, tendered his affidavit and described the site plan changes. DeRidder said the revised plan reduces the number of residential buildings in the northern portion while increasing building footprints and adding garages; he said "there's an awful lot of dark green, which is basically undisturbed vegetation" and estimated roughly 37% of existing trees would remain.

Traffic engineer James Bozzo, of Matteren and Craig Engineers, explained the updated traffic impact analysis (TIA). Bozzo said the screening step estimated 1,844 daily trips — 108 in the AM peak and 140 in the PM peak — figures that fall below NCDOT's 3,000-trips-per-day TIA threshold but exceed the county’s threshold because the development contains more than 75 units. He said the TIA was scoped and submitted to NCDOT and ultimately approved on June 2. Bozzo said NCDOT's review recommended site-distance provisions, a 100-foot internal protected stem on the access, a paved access and a 100-foot left-turn lane on Glenbridge Road serving the development. "Those conditions are doable for the project," he said, and he noted a driveway permit from NCDOT will be required.

John C. Palmer, a designated MAI appraiser, submitted an updated property-impact analysis. Palmer told the board he reviewed market comparables and concluded the larger configuration did not change his prior opinion that the application satisfies Buncombe County standards for property impact.

Board deliberation and conditions No members of the public asserted standing to present expert testimony. Board members asked clarifying questions about fire-marshal review, recreational amenities and the secondary access. DeRidder confirmed the fire marshal had reviewed the application. He and Justice said the southern connection to the Windsor Autry subdivision would be gated and reserved for emergency use to meet fire-code ingress/egress requirements.

During deliberations a board member moved that the board adopt findings of fact based on the record, including the petition, site plan, staff reports, exhibits and testimony, referencing Buncombe County Code of Ordinances provisions cited in the record. The motion to adopt findings of fact was seconded and passed on a voice vote. The board then moved to approve the special-use permit with the conditions discussed; that motion was seconded and passed on a voice vote. The board’s order describes the approval as a revised PUD (amendment to ZPH 02/24-00018) that increases the total unit count to 270 for PIN 9644-11-7677 (101 Sumner Drive) and incorporates conditions including: - Construction in substantial conformance with the approved master site plan prior to the commencement of land-disturbing activity. - Submission of a site-development plan permit showing building locations, parking, lighting, buffering, retaining walls and approved 911 road names. - Compliance with required permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NCDOT and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality where applicable. - Agreement in writing by the applicant to these conditions prior to site work.

The board’s order notes other PUD standards and findings required by the Buncombe County zoning ordinance, including that the proposed use will not adversely affect public health and safety, that parking and utilities are provided, and that open space and recreational areas will be maintained.

What the approval does and next steps The approval authorizes construction consistent with the revised PUD and places routine preconstruction requirements on the applicant. Among next steps, the applicant must obtain required NCDOT driveway approvals and any other permits referenced in the order, submit the detailed site-development permit(s) called for in the order, and record any required documents before starting site work.

Votes at a glance - Adoption of findings of fact (related to ZPH-2020-518 revision): motion and second recorded; approved by voice vote; individual tallies not recorded in the transcript. - Approval of special-use permit and adoption/execution of the order for Arden Investors 270 LLC (Arden Ridge Apartments): motion and second recorded; approved by voice vote; individual tallies not recorded in the transcript.

The board closed the hearing after ordering the written order be prepared and executed; staff and the applicant will follow the conditions and submittal requirements specified in the county order. The record reflects the board’s approval at the public hearing and the requirement that the applicant agree in writing to the conditions before beginning site work.