Board hears staff report on proposed ‘Lester Stump Dump,’ continues special-use permit hearing

Buncombe County planning staff presented an initial review of ZPH2025-00039, a special-use permit application for a proposed stump-dump and vegetative-mulch operation at 7 Brookshire Road and three adjacent parcels. Staff said the property is zoned "open use," that the proposal is classified as a solid-waste use under the zoning code and that the applicant must obtain required permits from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) and NCDOT before the county will accept a final site-plan for approval.

Counsel and parties in the room spent significant time resolving dozens of standing applications for the matter. Attorneys for the developer and several neighborhood representatives negotiated a partial agreement identifying a subset of properties that would be allowed standing while other applicants agreed to withdraw; multiple members of the public also withdrew standing during the proceeding. Opposing counsel asked for a continuance to allow time to review newly provided materials and to prepare expert witnesses on property value, traffic and potential environmental effects.

Given the volume of standing applicants, recent document exchanges and the stated intent by neighborhood counsel to call experts, the board voted to continue the hearing to the next regular meeting and instructed parties to exchange any expert reports or materials at least five business days before the continued hearing so staff can post and review them in advance. Staff noted required conditions for eventual approval would include parcel recombination and an approved NCDEQ permit as part of the county’s site-plan review process.

The continuance means the board will not take a final action at this meeting; the hearing will resume at a date certain and parties were asked to keep presentations focused so the matter can be addressed efficiently at the continued session.