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Emma neighborhood asks for small-area planning as planning board continues Ramsey rezoning to Sept. 15
Summary
On Aug. 18, 2025, the Buncombe County Planning Board continued a rezoning hearing for a 1.32-acre parcel on Emma Road from R-3 (residential) to CS (commercial services) to Sept. 15 to allow more neighborhood discussion and staff briefing on what the commercial-services district permits.
On Aug. 18, 2025, the Buncombe County Planning Board reopened public comment and ultimately continued the hearing on ZPH2025-00022, a petition to rezone a 1.32-acre parcel on Emma Road from R-3 (residential) to CS (commercial services), to its Sept. 15, 2025 meeting to allow additional neighborhood discussion and staff briefing.
The applicant, Quinlan Matthews, told the board the intended initial use is a small drive-through coffee operation and food truck with a short-term generator while utilities are installed; he said utility connections for water, sewer and electric were expected within about two months. Matthews said he has discussed the project with a local group organized as Poder Emma (transcribed variably in the record as Putera/Podera Emma) and that he hopes to hire from the local community and use the business to raise awareness of neighborhood causes.
Andrea Golden, speaking for the Emma Neighborhood Council, said the council had initially been “extremely concerned” but that its position evolved after meeting with the applicant. Golden said the neighborhood council voted to support the rezoning with the request that county planning staff and commissioners begin a small-area planning process for the Emma community; she told the board the council had fundraised to begin a first round of small-area planning but had not yet received confirmation from county staff on scheduling. Multiple neighbors also expressed conditional support but asked the board to recognize the neighborhood's concern about piecemeal rezoning and potential gentrification: one neighbor suggested reversion to residential when the current commercial use ceases, and staff reminded the board Buncombe County does not use conditional zoning, so a rezoning to CS would allow the range of uses permitted in that district.
Staff presented the consistency analysis and a list of uses allowed in the CS district (the staff slide listed examples including veterinarians, banks, medical clinics, retail, gas stations, nightclubs/bars, gyms, storage, schools and theaters). Staff recommended approval on consistency grounds, but after extended public comment and discussion the planning board voted to continue the matter to Sept. 15, 2025 to allow further neighborhood engagement and a planning presentation on what the rezoning would allow at the site.
Next steps: the board continued the public hearing to Sept. 15, 2025. Staff said it could provide a planning overview to the Emma Neighborhood Council to clarify what the CS district permits and to show how setbacks, parking and access requirements would influence what can physically be developed on the narrow lot.
