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Commissioners bristle after sports group demands $1.6M for parcels tied to trail alignment
Summary
Staff said Anka Youth Sports Organization submitted a 2020 appraisal seeking roughly $1.6M for about 51 acres needed for the trail alignment; county internal valuation was about $635,000. Commissioners questioned further taxpayer exposure and characterized the repeated demands as unreasonable.
Parks and Recreation staff told commissioners that the landowner (Anka Youth Sports Organization) submitted a 2020 appraisal requesting approximately $1,600,000 for about 51 acres along the proposed trail alignment. "The request that they've made again is they now want us to purchase the 51 acres where the alignment goes for the trail at a cost of approximately $1,600,000," staff said.
Commissioners expressed skepticism about further county spending on floodplain and brownfield parcels and criticized the landowner's repeated changes in terms. One commissioner said, "So it just feels, feels to me as if they're trying to take advantage of the taxpayers of Buncombe County with this." Staff countered that the county's internal valuation of the parcels is about $635,000 and noted environmental constraints that might render the parcels unusable for the trail even if acquired.
