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Buncombe County planning board approves rezoning for Long Shoals Road parcels
Summary
The Buncombe County planning board approved rezoning eight parcels (about 5.7 acres) along Long Shoals Road from residential to commercial-service zoning after staff recommended approval and the applicant highlighted corridor change; board members noted concerns about height, setbacks and sewer access.
The Buncombe County Planning Board voted to approve a map amendment for eight parcels along Long Shoals Road, moving the properties from R-1/R-2 residential to CS (commercial-service) zoning.
Haley Madfus, who introduced the staff report, told the board: "This area to be rezoned is a total of 8 parcels, and a combined area of 5.7 acres." Madfus said the parcels include single-family homes, vacant land, a landscaping business and an auto repair/tire shop, are served by public water and on septic, and that staff found the request consistent with portions of the county’s comprehensive plan and therefore recommended approval.
Applicant representative Brian Golden argued the CS designation fits the corridor’s evolving character and would bring existing nonconforming businesses into conformity. "It allows for different types of mixed uses, higher density development for housing, which, as we know, we all need," Golden said, describing nearby multifamily development and the potential for neighborhood-serving commercial uses.
Board members questioned infrastructure implications, buffering and building form. One member said the change from a 30-foot to a 50-foot maximum height and the reduction in setbacks from 20 to 10 feet are "a pretty big thing when you have neighboring residential" and expressed concerns about how taller buildings would relate to adjacent homes; staff noted buffering requirements between commercial and residential uses.
A committee member moved to approve the rezoning as consistent with the Buncombe County 2043 comprehensive plan; another member seconded. After a voice vote in which members answered "aye," the chair announced the motion passed and closed the public hearing.
The board also recorded a member request for a future briefing on the state law (SB 382) that members said could affect the county’s ability to downzone properties, and the planning director said he will provide upcoming updates on floodplain management.
