Groce United Methodist Church and Haw Creek Commons were honored by HCCA, at our public board meeting on November 21, for their community-minded response to tropical storm Helene. On hand from the Commons was Patrick Neitzey, Campus Pastor, and from Groce UMC, Pastor Jill Rhinehart and True Morse, Chair of the Groce Leadership Team. 

True Morse, who was involved in the response effort hands-on, reported that what occurred in response to the Helene disaster would not have happened if not for all the community volunteers who showed up and pitched in. Everyone agrees that about 75% of the volunteers were not members of Groce. He said, "For us at Groce it really opened our eyes to see how much more we can accomplish for our community through doing more with and through community partners instead of defaulting to thinking it has to be done primarily through members of Groce."

The key partnership that occurred during this crisis was with the leaders of Grateful Village / Chances for Children Carolinas: Tracey Stebbing, Anna Harrelson and Marsha van Rijssen. Tracey was the genius in the supplies room and Marsha (who also is a key volunteer at Groce's weekly Welcome Table and leads the Prom Dress Exchange for high school students) was the leader of the meals effort. The effort all started when Marsha contacted Jill that Monday morning and said "We might as well cook and serve the food in the freezers and refrigerators before it spoils."

Chances for Children Carolinas are engaging with the Reynolds school district to help children and youth in need due to this disaster, expanding what they had already been doing. HCCA members may want to support the important storm relief work they're undertaking.

At Haw Creek Commons, Chef and Kitchen Manager EJ Mochrie, and Community Coordinator Linden Lingle, together with Peter Lorenz Cubmaster of Scout Troop 4, helped transform the Commons into a relief and aid center. Among others who stepped up were Emily Oldenburg (Troop 4 parent) and Pat Smith who helped organize an outside effort to secure supplies.

The teachers at Haw Creek Elementary School volunteered often and checked on individual families in need. Pack 4 Cub Scouts and Troop 4 Scouts and their parents also helped in many ways. Haw Creek dog walkers relayed community needs. And from elsewhere, the Cajun Navy, North Wilkesboro Speedway, and the Disaster Relief Donation Center of ASU in Hickory, all provided important and timely supplies.

HCCA is grateful to all the community volunteers who provided their skills, labor and love to support their neighbors during the recovery from this disaster.

We have been steadily working on a number of long-standing projects and recently introduced some new projects, all to benefit Haw Creek residents and the greater community. Following is an update on projects that are currently in the works.

New Haw Creek Road Sidewalk

Yes, it’s coming despite the delays due to the NCDOT review process. Here is the current status:

 ~ NCDOT is in the process of approving the final revisions to the bid manual. 

 ~ The formal authorization to construct will be submitted as soon as the DOT approval is received.

 ~ The bid advertisement date is scheduled for August.

 ~ Bids are scheduled to be due September 19—this date is in the bid manual that DOT is reviewing. There are things that could impact this but it is an indication of a more committed date, which will be in the DOT approved documents. 
 ~ Assuming three bids are received, City Council will vote on the construction contract at their October council meeting.

Beverly Road Pedestrian Bridge

Complex technical difficulties involving FEMA flood elevations have delayed building a bridge over Haw Creek, utilizing the AT&T girder, that will connect the parking lot at Creekside Taphouse with the one on the other side of the creek. This bridge will enable pedestrians to cross without stepping into traffic on Beverly Road. The general contractor needs to make two changes in the design as requested by the city and then they should approve the permit. Once the permit is in hand construction can begin. In 2022, HCCA secured a $5,000 grant from the city’s Neighborhood Matching Grant program for this project, however, the bulk of the funding is being provided by Creekside Taphouse.

Haw Creek Park Greenway   

HCCA’s grant application before the Buncombe County Open Spaces Fund is progressing through the required stages. Our application passed an initial set of screenings and we presented at an invitation-only session with the county grant committee. We also recently led a site visit for representatives of the county fund and their positive feedback encourages us to be optimistic. The bond committee has shifted their timeline and we are now expecting a final decision in October. 

Monitoring Haw Creek Water Quality

HCCA recently submitted a request to the city’s Neighborhood Matching Grant program for funds to add two monitoring stations on Haw Creek to determine current conditions and track water quality and watershed changes over time. Haw Creek is a significant tributary to the French Broad River, which is currently listed as "impaired" for water quality (mostly due to bacteria) and we don't have any data on our historic or current water quality conditions in Haw Creek. The Environmental Quality Institute maintains a network of water quality monitoring stations across western NC that are sampled by volunteers. These volunteers collect monthly water samples that are analyzed by EQI staff and the data helps identify potential water quality issues. 

Haw Creek Wildfire Evaluation Plan

In response to concerns raised by community members about the lack of a wildfire evacuation plan for Haw Creek, HCCA recently submitted a request to the city’s Neighborhood Matching Grant program for funds to contract with Dustin Bradley, an experienced firefighter and a woodland-urban interface technician who also consults about wildfire preparation. He's outlined the parameters for a Firewise study, which would address early warning systems, evacuation procedures, analysis of varying degrees of fire risk associated within different sections of the valley, landscaping strategies, and use of flame retardant construction materials. We look forward to providing a presentation to the community on these issues.

Open Space Preservation

HCCA has established a committee to identify some of the remaining large tracts of undeveloped land within the Haw Creek valley and explore potential conservation options. Committee members are talking with local land conservancies about their policies and practices. Our goal is to talk with land owners and gauge their interest in preserving their property for future generations.

With the exception of the city sidewalk, these projects are led by HCCA board volunteers and supported by membership dues and donations.

From the time Kevin Jackson first presented the proposed Meadows at Haw Creek to our community in November 2023, HCCA worked to represent the interests of Haw Creek residents. Beginning in January 2024, we made several overtures to Jackson to engage in meaningful negotiations to see if there was a compromise that would address the community’s many concerns about the proposed project.

Jackson met with members of HCCA on two occasions and attended an HCCA meeting, listened to the concerns we expressed, but never provided any substantive responses. After the 4-3 vote by the Planning and Zoning Commission on March 20, Chris Pelly, on behalf of HCCA, contacted the Mayor to ask for her help to bring Jackson to the negotiating table. The Mayor reached out to Jackson and his attorney and asked that they attend negotiations, which she would host. Those negotiations yielded meaningful concessions.

1) Preserved Tree Canopy – The 767 parcel is 27 acres of which 53% is tree canopy. Jackson’s initial proposal to the Technical Review Committee (TRC) would have preserved only 3.4 acres of canopy. HCCA negotiated to preserve more of the canopy and increase the tree buffer for adjoining lots in Happy Valley. The Conditional Zoning (CZ) as adopted by City Council now protects approximately 5.5 to 6 acres of canopy and protects not only the tree canopy, but other existing vegetation as well. Protecting the existing non-tree vegetation was important to the west side property owners adjacent to the proposed town homes. That requirement was included as a condition of the CZ approval.

2) Improved Sidewalks – Jackson had proposed to build a sidewalk only on the west side of New Haw Creek Road in front of the town homes. Jackson did not propose to build a sidewalk along the eastern side of New Haw Creek Road. TRC, however, required that an east side sidewalk be included. HCCA suggested an alternative. Jackson’s proposal included a 12-foot greenway running the length of the frontage of the 767 property.  HCCA suggested moving the sidewalk or building an ADA-compliant multi-purpose path into the greenway and extending the sidewalk not only across the 767 property, but also across 719 New Haw Creek Road (the ballfields). The City and Jackson agreed to that requirement. The City’s sidewalk, when built, will end at Bell Road. The CZ will now require Jackson to extend that sidewalk to Sleepy Hollow Road.

3) Increased Town Home Screening – The homeowners adjacent to the proposed town homes were concerned about the lack of screening between their properties and the rear of the town homes. They were also concerned that the headlights of cars entering or leaving the town homes via Kings Meadow Court would light-up the houses on Redwing Lane and the hillside behind the town homes. The upper row of town homes is approximately 500-feet from north to south.  We were successful in negotiating a requirement that more than 700 feet of evergreen trees be planted along the rear property lines of the town homes, continuing along Kings Meadow Court to New Haw Creek Road. Jackson is required to plant 6 foot arborvitae every 12 feet along the rear property line of the town homes, with a second row of arborvitae, 6 feet behind and staggered between the trees in the first row. Arborvitae grow 3 to 4 feet per year, and reach a height of 40 to 50 feet at maturity with a spread of 12 feet. If any of the arborvitae die, the HOA will be required to replace it with a new 6 foot arborvitae. A total of more than 110 arborvitae will have to be planted.

4) Introduced Conservation Easement – HCCA negotiated a requirement that Jackson work with Riverlink, Southern Appalachian Conservancy or a similar organization to place the 3.8 acres of preserved tree canopy on the northeast side of the development, the area backing against Sleepy Hollow Drive, Alpine Way and Alpine Court, into a conservation easement with the potential for publicly accessible trails.

5) Reduced Unit Count – Jackson's proposal included 60 single-family homes. The CZ approved by City Council reduces that number to 49.

6) Minimized Retaining Walls – The 767 design approved in the CZ includes only two small retaining walls, one along the entrance to the town homes and a second along the northeast side of the wetlands near the ball fields. HCCA negotiated to minimize the number and height of any retaining walls. All of the options presented by Jackson that used a bridge across the wetlands as the sole access to the property would have required substantial retaining walls ranging in height from 5 to 20 feet, potentially running the full length of the 767 frontage.

Now that the Conditional Zoning has been approved by City Council, Jackson will have to submit new drawings and plans that conform to the terms of the project conditions as outlined and submit those to TRC for final review. NCDOT will review any issues falling within its jurisdiction since New Haw Creek Road is a state road.

Terry Latanich, a retired-attorney and Haw Creek resident who worked as one of HCCA’s negotiators on the 767 project, will continue to monitor the progress of Jackson’s project through TRC. He will keep us informed on any significant issues that may arise in the TRC review process as well as provide updates on timing.

Asheville City Council voted by a 5-1 margin to approve the 767 development proposal at their July 23 meeting. Over one hundred Haw Creek residents were on hand to witness the outcome of this contentious nine-month campaign. Although we won significant improvements to the original plan, success is laden with sadness over how the issue has divided our community. 

A more complete report will be coming soon. For now, here is the site plan approved last evening.

HCCA is proud to congratulate board member Storms Reback on his selection by the City of Asheville as July's outstanding neighborhood volunteer. 

From the July 23 issue of Neighborhood News:

"Moving to a new community is challenging enough, settling in and becoming actively engaged is another. We are saluting Storms because he came, he saw, and is making a difference.

Storms has been a driving force behind significant and tangible improvements to the Haw Creek community. He launched the first-ever Haw Creek Heritage Festival in 2023 that unites artists, musicians, and storytellers to celebrate community history and culture. He organized the inaugural ‘Haw Creek Hustle’ 5K race, which featured 125 local runners and strengthened the Haw Creek community's identity.

One of Storms' most visible contributions is replacing the community identification sign at the entrance to the Haw Creek neighborhood. This compelling and beautifully landscaped sign showcases his 'can do' attitude and ability to mobilize neighbors. As chair of the Clean & Green Committee, Storms also led cleanups of overgrown vegetation in Haw Creek Park.

Storms’ effectiveness is remarkable considering that he accomplished all the above and more in just one year of service as a Board member of the Haw Creek Community Association.

Thank you, Storms Reback, for your unwavering dedication, outstanding contributions, and infectious positive attitude that is inspiring many and significantly improving the Haw Creek Community!”

The eight-month community campaign opposing the original 767 development plan is making an impact. The latest revised design finally reflects broad-based support for tree preservation and fewer homes. Although far from ideal, this negotiated proposal addresses many of the concerns heard from Haw Creek residents. 

The proposed subdivision entrance via Alpine Court in Happy Valley is gone. The bridge through the wetlands is gone. The proposed retaining walls, up to 15’ high and facing New Haw Creek Road, are gone. The number of homes on the east side is reduced from 60 to 49. And 4.3 acres of forest canopy is preserved on the east end. Pedestrian improvements, including the greenway and connecting sidewalks, are still included.

Ongoing negotiations enabled this progress. Participants in the most recent May 30 meeting were 767 developer Kevin Jackson and his team, senior city leaders, including Mayor Manheimer, Council members Antanette Mosley and Sage Turner, and Haw Creek Community Association leaders. 

Another outcome was the decision to delay City Council action from June 11 to July 23. The postponement will allow time to reach a final agreement. 

On Friday, June 14, HCCA will host a drop-in session at the East Asheville Library from 6-8 p.m., during which the recent and most promising 767 New Haw Creek development option will be reviewed and discussed.

Previous iterations are here: Read the developer’s response to the key improvements HCCA outlined and review the various design options, along with the most recent (page 5), shown below.

Seeking more time to respond to the objections of the Haw Creek community and City leaders, developer Kevin Jackson has pulled consideration of the ‘Meadows at Haw Creek’ development from Tuesday’s City Council agenda. Instead, the public hearing and vote has been rescheduled for Tuesday, June 11th, when this matter will come back to City Council. 

HCCA leaders participated in April 11th negotiations hosted by Mayor Manheimer and Councilwoman Sage Turner with Mr. Jackson’s team. It became evident their proposal to reduce the number of homesites from 95 to 94, plus no commitment to forest preservation, was wholly insufficient. 

That said, progress was made on other fronts with agreement on pedestrian improvements to link the 767 property with the new sidewalk ending at Bell Road and on the western side buffers. 

Based on the April 11th negotiations, the developer has sought a delay to consider redesign options. We remain hopeful a reasonable compromise can be negotiated that preserves the six-acre forest on the east end of the property. 

City Council will vote this Tuesday on the developer’s request for continuance until June 11th. It is likely this will be approved in order to provide him time to refine his plans.

As we learn more about the redesign proposals, we will share that information. In the meantime, please mark your calendar and plan to attend the June 11th City Council meeting.

Listen to the Story on BPR

Almost 400 residents attended the March 20 special meeting of the City of Asheville's Planning and Zoning Commission scheduled to review the proposal for the housing development at 767 New Haw Creek Road. With the public comment portion of the meeting limited to one hour, the commissioners heard from just 17 of the more than 200 attendees who requested the opportunity to speak. 

The four-hour-long meeting ended with a narrow recommendation of approval to rezone the property, expanding the number of homes allowed from a maximum of 49 to 95 single-family homes and townhomes. The Asheville City Council will have the final say on whether the rezoning request is approved during a vote scheduled for their April 9 meeting. 

The commissioners heard from city planning staff on their review of the project, the developer Kevin Jackson, and citizens both in favor and opposed to the rezoning request.

Haw Creek residents opposed to the rezoning request cited many concerns about the project, including pedestrian safety, the lack of affordability housing in the development, increased traffic, the ability to evacuate the valley in the event of a fire or other emergency, impact to wildlife living on the site, potential flooding due to stormwater runoff, and loss of tree canopy. Approximately 53 percent of the property is covered with mature tree canopy, with the most densely wooded area on the east side. 

Haw Creek Community Association President Chris Pelly spoke on behalf of the neighborhood organization, recognizing the need for more housing in Asheville but urged the commissioners to follow the guidance of the city's 2018 comprehensive plan for smart growth. He shared the neighborhood’s concern that the rezoning proposal violates the spirit and intent of the comprehensive plan in several key areas. 

"We did not come here to say no to this development. We recognize housing of all types is needed in all areas of the city, including Haw Creek," Pelly said. "We are prepared to do our part." 

Many of the speakers, including Buncombe County Planning Board Member John Noor, implored the commissioners to delay the vote to allow for continued discussions with the developer on areas for compromise, including the possibility of a reduction to the number of homes constructed to allow for preservation of a significant portion of the wooded area.

"The Haw Creek community is prepared to compromise and will not oppose a rezoning if Mr. Jackson also compromises. To date, this has not happened," he said. "For this reason, we respectfully request Planning and Zoning members oppose the conditional zoning request." 

After hours of discussion and deliberation, the commission voted 4-3 to approve the project. The rezoning request now goes to the City Council for the final vote. 

At the March 12th annual meeting of the community association, Michelle Decker and Steve Scholl were elected to the board and re-elected incumbents included Bruce Black, Barber Melton, Renate Rikkers, Christina Maggi and Chris Pelly. See board member bios. Chosen as officers for 2024 were Bruce Black, Treasurer, Steve Scholl, Secretary, Christina Maggi, Vice President and Chris Pelly, President.

Highlights from 2023 were reviewed including: 
– Installation of a Little Free Library at Spruce Hill Apartments
– Installation of a kiosk at Masters Park
– Installation of a new ‘Welcome to Haw Creek’ sign at the Crockett Road entrance
– Launch of the Haw Creek Park Greenway campaign
– Leadership of the community response to the 767 NHC development project
– Multiple public programs including the first-ever Haw Creek Heritage Festival, Living with Black Bears program, Chili Cook Off, Game Days, yard sales, and park cleanups
– Organizational improvements such as standing committees, the website, expansion of social media and membership growth

Plans for 2024 were discussed including:
– Landscaping around the new welcome sign
– The first-ever Haw Creek 5K run/walk set for April 20th
– Plans to complete the Haw Creek Park Greenway campaign
– Continued community advocacy on the 767 development project
– Many new events related to gardening, community-led hikes, and more

Attendees were encouraged to join any of the four committees that manage much of the association’s day-to-day work. The four committees and their leaders are:
– Clean & Green Committee – Chair, Storms Reback
– Community Outreach Committee – Chair, Michelle Decker
– Sidewalk, Greenways & Pedestrian Safety Comm. – Chair, Chris Pelly
– Communications & Development Committee – Chair, Liz Polfus

The meeting, attended by 75 residents, closed with a dessert social.

With a review process that stretches over several months, it can be difficult to keep track of the status of the 767 development project. Rest assured we are and this progress report has the details.

What We've Heard From Our Haw Creek Neighbors

You have told us that it's important this project be scaled back—that 95 homes are too many on this site. You have told us that the developer's plan to cut the tree canopy from the current 53% to just 12% is excessive and the trees need to be protected. You have told us that the community wants better pedestrian connections, both around and within the development, including sidewalks and greenways that will connect to each other. We have heard your concerns and will be sharing them with City Council members in individual meetings over the next few weeks.

Haw Creek Traffic Study Complete

We have received the final report of the experts we retained to conduct a traffic study on the impact of the 767 development project. Our experts concluded that “the proposed development will adversely affect the health or safety of persons residing or working along New Haw Creek Road in the vicinity of the proposed development from a traffic engineering perspective.” We encourage you to read the full report. Each of the intersections that were studied are stressed today. As the city makes its decision on whether to grant conditional zoning to the developer to build 95 housing units, it needs to consider the incremental impact of the traffic it would be permitting. Hopefully, the report of our experts will help guide the city’s zoning decision.

Technical Review Committee (TRC) Findings 

The 12 page TRC staff report from the February 5 initial review of the 767 development plan contains useful analysis as we prepare for the next step in this campaign. Although no public comments were allowed, there were 145 people on the video call during the proposal review, the most TRC has ever experienced, thanks to the many engaged Haw Creek community members.

Planning & Zoning Commission to Hold Public Hearing March 20th 

The first opportunity for public testimony on the "Meadows at Haw Creek" will be Wednesday, March 20, 5 pm at Harrah's Cherokee Center Banquet Hall. All residents will have three minutes to speak and this is your opportunity to be heard. Even if you're not interested in speaking, your presence is important so please plan to join us. The Planning & Zoning Commission, a City Council-appointed board, will review the development proposal, hear public testimony, and then make a recommendation to the City Council. 

City Council to Vote April 9th 

City Planning staff have indicated that the City Council will likely be taking up the "Meadows at Haw Creek" development at their April 9 meeting, which will begin at 5 pm in City Hall. Again, there will be a public hearing at which residents will have three minutes to speak. More details to come. 

Soil Testing at 767 New Haw Creek 

We've received word that the developer is having soil compaction analysis undertaken at various spots on the 26-acre site. We have been assured that the equipment you might observe on the property is only for these purposes. No construction is allowed before City Council action.

What You Can Do to Help

We need Haw Creek residents to continue to reach out to the City Council and the media. Your letters-to-the-editor have an impact so please keep it up. Same for letters and emails to the City Council members. Details and talking points are available here.