Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board clears Ingles plan for larger Swannanoa store, with state permits required
Summary
The Buncombe County Board of Adjustment granted a special-use permit in October for Ingles Markets’ planned redevelopment in Swannanoa that will include a new roughly 95,000–100,000-square-foot Ingles store on a 6.78-acre parcel at 2317 U.S. 70.
The Buncombe County Board of Adjustment granted a special-use permit in October for Ingles Markets’ planned redevelopment in Swannanoa that will include a new roughly 95,000–100,000-square-foot Ingles store on a 6.78-acre parcel at 2317 U.S. 70.
Staff told the board the special-use permit applies only to the parcel containing the new Ingles building; other proposed or planned work on adjacent parcels is not covered by this permit and will proceed under separate approvals. Staff recommended conditions including that the applicant obtain a North Carolina Department of Transportation permit and construct the project as depicted in the approved site plans.
Stacy Connor, a civil engineer with Land Planning Associates, and traffic engineer Mark Teague testified for the applicant. Connor said water and sewer are available on-site, that the project team will work with MSD and the City of Asheville to upgrade utilities and replace an existing clay sewer main, and that the site grading includes raising the portion with the proposed Ingles roughly 4 feet to improve resilience following Hurricane Helene’s flooding. She said the applicant is not seeking variances from county development standards.
Teague described ongoing coordination with NCDOT on a traffic study that will evaluate multiple intersections and the design and warranting of proposed traffic signals. He said early discussions with NCDOT gave a favorable scope for the study and that existing traffic volumes in the study area had largely recovered to pre-Hurricane Helene levels based on counts taken in September.
An Ingles representative, Preston Kendall, described Ingles’ long presence in Buncombe County and said the company intends to restore and expand its site in Swannanoa, noting anticipated employment for the new store and associated fueling/wash facilities.
The board adopted findings of fact that the application meets the special-use permit criteria in Buncombe County Code section 78-6-213 and approved the permit with conditions requiring an NCDOT permit, master site plan permit submission, and copies of required federal and state approvals before construction begins.
