Council narrowly approves rezoning at Asheville Mall to spur redevelopment

Council voted to rezone the Asheville Mall property from Urban Place form district back to Regional Business, concluding a long, contentious discussion about how best to reactivate large mall parcels on South Tunnel Road.

Planning staff recommended denial, saying Urban Place is intended to encourage walkable, transit‑oriented redevelopment and that reverting to Regional Business risks more car‑oriented uses. The applicant argued Urban Place’s block‑grid and master‑plan requirements are impractical for an assembled mall site and that returning to a more flexible district is needed to stimulate investment and activation of underused surface parking. An applicant representative said the owner seeks to invest in the mall parcel, including potential housing, and that the current Urban Place rules have discouraged feasible redevelopment proposals.

Council members split on the balance between protecting long‑range walkable‑growth goals and enabling near‑term reinvestment; after an initial motion to deny failed, a subsequent motion to approve the rezoning carried. Supporters said the change creates a path for private reinvestment, while critics cautioned that the city should tighten or fix Urban Place standards during an upcoming Unified Development Ordinance rewrite rather than reverse zoning at a pivotal corridor.