Hendersonville Lightning: Planning Board votes 7-0 against Greenville Highway apartments

From the Hendersonville Lightning:

“. . . Lock 7 Development LLC, a Washington, D.C.- and North Carolina-based developer that specializes in boutique townhomes and apartments, applied for a zoning change last October from Greenville Highway Mixed Use to Greenville Highway Mixed Use conditional zoning for the construction of the multi-family project. Tax records show a 1,053-square-foot home on the parcel, which is otherwise vacant. The land, owned by Ann Ferguson of Winston-Salem, is valued on the tax books at $1,217,100.

After more than two hours or discussion and public comment, the Planning Board voted 7-0 to recommend that the City Council deny the rezoning application, citing incompatibility with the surrounding neighborhood, stormwater runoff and the loss of urban forest land, Planning Board Chair Jim Robertson said. In support of its motion to recommend denial, the Planning Board said:

• The scale of the development is out of character with the surrounding single-family neighborhood.
• The proposal fails to address compatibility as the site plan does not scale back in intensity/density as the site transitions from Greenville Highway to the R-15 Single-Family neighborhood.
• The extent of the proposed land disturbance would do excessive damage to urban forest land and drainage areas within the city limits in an area that is already prone to flooding. . .”