Asheville approves 208 apartments near Biltmore Village and adaptive reuse of century-old church

ASHEVILLE – A new 208-unit multifamily apartment complex is planned for a vacant lot near Biltmore Village after gaining approval from the City Council on May 28. The six-story building is booked by breweries and is one of several new developments coming to the area. .

The 2.63-acre property located at 21 London Road, corner of Burial Beer Co. Forestry Camp Taproom and just off Sweeten Creek Road, is now an empty lot, formerly housing a one-story garage that was recently demolished.

The developer and new owner, Zapolski Real Estate LLC, a Raleigh-based development and management company, is proposing a six-story building for the parcel – four residential stories over two levels of parking. The site will include structured parking, new sidewalks, a swimming pool and an amenity area.

The developer also agreed to install a new bus stop and bus shelter adjacent to the project. The current location of the bus stop is only marked by a free-standing sign in an uneven strip of grass.

“We hear a lot about lack of middle, this is one of those projects that fits perfectly into infill development,” said attorney Derek Allen, representing the applicant. This speaks to efforts to implement the policies and concepts of the city's comprehensive plan, he said, such as pedestrian-oriented development, creating “livability” without the need for a car.

Council Member Sheneika Smith expressed some concerns about the impact on traffic and the potential for congestion or diversion of drivers to neighboring neighborhoods, especially with the influx of new development along the corridor.

Warren Sugg of Civil Design Concepts, also a member of the project team, said he completed a traffic impact analysis in November. He anticipates 80 percent of traffic leaving the site will take a right toward Sweeten Creek Road and 20 percent a left toward the Shiloh neighborhood.

Options for tenants will include studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, the Citizen Times reported in December. Plans show 223 proposed parking spaces beneath the apartment complex.

The City Council approved the project by a vote of 5 to 1. Council member Sage Turner voted against it in what she called a “symbolic” no, hoping to further push the city toward development of an entitlement process for multifamily housing, similar to its new regulations for hotel developments, allowing some housing projects to move forward more easily. throughout the process, with the help of a community benefits table.

Adaptive Reuse of East End OK Church

Also at its May 28 meeting, the City Council unanimously approved conditional zoning to allow the adaptive reuse of a nearly 100-year-old church in the East End/Valley Street neighborhood, transforming it into three residential units.

The Cappadocia Fire-Baptized Church of God in the Americas – Cappadocia for short – sat at 57 Max St. in the Black East End Historic District for more than a century. The church is a monolith on Catholic Hill, serving generations of families, clergy and the community, the Citizen Times reported in January.

The 0.27-acre property is owned by the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe, which works to preserve the church in conjunction with the East End/Valley Street Neighborhood Association and the Dogwood Health Trust.

Preservation Society Executive Director Jessie Landl told the council May 28 that they purchased the church and a nearby house on Grail Street from a developer after discovering they were slated for demolition.

The ultimate goal is to transform the church into affordable housing, but without funding, she said, affordability, while expected, is not yet guaranteed.

The project is seeking a conditional zoning application to modify the required 20-foot buffer, instead providing for a 6- to 9-foot retaining wall, with evergreens and other plantings on top. The site includes four parking spaces and tenant garden plots.

Retired Rev. Jim Abbott, an East End resident since 1999 and assistant treasurer of the East End Valley Street Neighborhood Association, spoke during public comment, reiterating the neighborhood's support for preservation and reuse of the property.

He said the East End has faced “one trauma after another,” from redlining and urban renewal to school closings and gentrification.

When the neighborhood discovered that the church and adjacent house were about to be demolished, “it seemed like one more attack on the neighborhood. We didn't know what to do.”

Then, he said, the Preservation Society intervened.

“Not only will we preserve this church and this house, but we will help preserve the neighborhood,” he said, with the hope that affordable housing would allow some displaced families to return.

Council member Antanette Mosley was among many council members to express support. Mosley, an East End native, said that growing up, she spent a lot of time in the church and the other house the society is seeking to restore.

“It’s really exciting, I’m really happy about it,” she said.

More: Asheville East End Church Saved From Demolition Finds Second Life As Affordable Housing

More: Asheville Planning Board approves 208-unit apartment complex, 99-unit Biltmore Village hotel

Sarah Honosky is the city reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Current advice? Email [email protected] or tweet @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism by subscribing to the Citizen Times..

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: City Council approves 208-unit apartment complex in South Asheville