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Council approves rezoning of 13 Baldwin Street to RS‑8 after public comment on displacement risks
Summary
Council voted to rezone 13 Baldwin Street from Neighborhood Business to RS‑8, a zoning change that reduces allowed commercial uses; council and public speakers debated displacement risks and the need for anti‑displacement analysis before rezoning vulnerable areas.
Asheville City Council recommended approval of a rezoning petition that would change 13 Baldwin Street from Neighborhood Business to RS‑8 (residential single‑family high‑density). Planning staff said the future land‑use designation supports RS‑8, but the change removes mixed‑use permissions and introduces minimum lot and parking requirements.
Chris Collins of the Planning & Urban Design Department presented the request and said Planning & Zoning Commission had unanimously recommended approval on Dec. 3. Staff noted the rezoning reduces allowable density and mixed‑use opportunities at a small (0.22‑acre) site but would enable construction of two small single‑family homes suited to the surrounding Oakley neighborhood.
Charlotte Kinkalski, owner of 17 Baldwin and a neighbor, urged approval and said the lot has been in her family for more than 100 years; she said subdividing for two small homes would help preserve her homestead by making sale proceeds available for needed repairs. "It's my childhood home...I'm fighting to save my childhood home right now," she told council.
Community groups urged council to pair rezoning decisions with anti‑displacement analysis. David Greenson, representing neighborhood advocates, said the city should adopt a consistent anti‑displacement policy so zoning changes that increase development pressure do not displace existing residents. Pro‑development speakers, including Peter Zederholm of 20/20 Builders, said the lot is too small to support meaningful commercial use and that two single‑family homes would increase housing supply in a transit‑served, walkable neighborhood.
Councilmember (speaker 17) moved to recommend approval, the motion was seconded, and council approved the rezoning by voice vote. Staff will record the council’s action consistent with the normal rezoning process; staff and council also discussed pursuing an anti‑displacement tool the council is developing for future decisions.
