Buncombe County’s Board of Adjustment on Monday approved a Special Use Permit for Beacon Ridge, a 170‑unit affordable housing development proposed along the US‑70 corridor, adding conditions requiring coordination with county planning and Asheville transit on a possible bus shelter and pursuing grants for sidewalks.

Staff presented the project as a Community Oriented Development under county policy, noting the proposal combines density incentives with design commitments and seeks two modifications: a 10‑foot increase in maximum building height to 60 feet and a reduced parking ratio (from 1.75 to 1.53 spaces per unit). Staff recommended approval with standard conditions including meeting stormwater requirements and maintaining affordability mechanisms for a minimum of 15 years.

LDG Development’s attorney, Bob Oz, and the project team offered testimony and exhibits including a traffic impact analysis, market and appraisal studies, and expert witness testimony. Landon Cox, LDG’s development manager, described the unit mix—48 one‑bed, 69 two‑bed and 53 three‑bed units—targeted to households at roughly 30–70% of area median income. The developer said it plans to use Low‑Income Housing Tax Credits through the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency and to place deed restrictions enforcing affordability for 15 years.

Traffic consultant Ronald Stevenson summarized a traffic impact analysis that found the project would add relatively few trips and would not meet warrants for a right‑turn lane; he said the existing center left‑turn lane on US‑70 accommodates left‑turn movements and that NCDOT has preliminarily reviewed the study. Appraiser John C. Palmer presented a market analysis concluding the project would not be inherently detrimental to surrounding property values based on comparables.

During deliberations the board added two conditions negotiated during the hearing: the applicant must coordinate with Buncombe County planning staff, who will in turn coordinate with the City of Asheville transit staff on whether a city‑approved bus shelter is merited at the US‑70 corridor, and the applicant will work with staff to pursue available grant funding to construct sidewalks along the corridor. The board also reiterated standard requirements: stormwater approvals, site construction per approved site plan, and recorded deed restrictions to ensure 15 years of affordability.

The board moved and adopted findings of fact, then voted to approve the Special Use Permit with the conditions described. Staff will produce an order reflecting those decisions and the applicant must demonstrate compliance with the conditions prior to final permits being issued.

Next steps: the applicant must obtain an NCDOT driveway permit, record required subdivision and affordability documents, meet stormwater administrator approvals, and carry out the project in accordance with the approved site plan.