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Buncombe County board denies emergency continuance, later schedules April 28 finish of Emerald Townhomes hearing
Summary
After a contested request to delay the Emerald Townhomes quasi‑judicial hearing, the Board of Adjustment initially denied a continuance but later set a date‑certain continuation for Monday, April 28, 2025 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) to finish testimony and cross‑examination.
The Buncombe County Board of Adjustment on April 2 heard competing requests to delay the evidentiary hearing on the Emerald (Emma Road) Townhomes PUD, with one party saying an expert withdrew two weeks before the special meeting and another counsel urging the board to proceed.
Chair (Speaker 1) put the procedural question to the board; after discussion of fairness and logistics, a motion to deny the continuance was called and the board voted in favor. As Chair put it during the vote, "There's a motion to deny that continuance." Opposing counsel had argued witnesses had traveled and that a replacement expert had been retained, but the board said it preferred to proceed while preserving the right to continue if necessary.
After multiple hours of presentation and examination the board and parties agreed more time would be required to complete the record. The board adopted a separate, later motion to continue to a date certain to allow both sides to finalize outstanding materials and ensure witness availability. "I would make a motion to continue this to date certain Monday, April 28," the Chair said; that motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The board instructed parties to provide outstanding expert reports ahead of the rescheduled session and indicated remote participation could be accommodated where needed.
