Did you see this sign on Weaver Boulevard? Could you read it as you were driving by at 35 m.p.h.? Yeah, me neither, so here’s a close up. The parcel in question is known as the McPhail Property or Weaver Village. A public hearing will be held 6 p.m. on Monday, April 14 at the Weaverville Town Hall.

Update from the North Buncombe Association of Concerned Citizens regarding the rescheduled concrete plant hearing. For more information contact Aaron at 645-9291.  I will post the time and location as soon as it is made available.

Dear Friends and Neighbors,
 
Last Monday, the Concrete plant proponents “writ of mandamus” – was heard in Court. They were trying to force us and the County to rehear their case in early April. 
 
The judge found that there was no reason to force a meeting in April and required that the County set the meeting in May.
 
In short, the concrete hearing will restart from the beginning. It will be held early Wednesday evening, May 14th, probably at 5:30, at either the North Buncombe Middle School or the North Buncombe High School.
 
Since the date was mandated by the court, it will not be rescheduled!!!!
 
It is more important than ever that as many people as possible show up. Please circle the date and time and start telling your friends and neighbors.
 
It has been wonderful to work with our attorneys (Gary Davis and Jamie Whitlock) but their time is expensive – even though they have agreed to cut their customary rate. Thanks to the many who have already donated to the North Buncombe Association of Concerned Citizens.
 
If you haven’t yet sent a check, or, if you can afford to give again, please make a tax deductible contribution to the North Buncombe Association of Concerned Citizens and mail it c/o Martha Claxton, 240 Upper Flat Creek Rd., Weaverville, NC 28787.  We need to raise approximately $8,000 more to put on an effective defense at the upcoming hearing. This will pay for printing, expert witnesses, legal fees, and other misc. expenses. All of the many non professionals who have so generously given of their time have been working for free.

A Zoning Board of Adjustment Public Hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, March 24 at the Weaverville Town Hall.   On the agenda:

• Request from Ingles to add 16,300 square foot garden center at the store located on 140 Weaver Blvd.

Some news from our Flat Creek neighbors. Mountain Xpress is reporting the public hearing for the proposed concrete plant at Murphy Hill Road was adjourned due to “insufficient notification of the project’s neighbors.”

A proposed North Buncombe concrete plant hearing before the Buncombe County Board of Adjustment was adjourned after two hours of testimony due to insufficient notification of the project’s neighbors.
…
a March 12 hearing before the Board of Adjustment was cut short — after testimony from representatives of the plant and two opposing speakers — once it surfaced that letters notifying adjacent landowners of the hearing were mailed nine days earlier. By law, those letters had to be mailed at least 10 days before the hearing.
…
The adjournment means the process will start all over again with a new application from Blue Ridge Concrete. County Zoning Administrator Jim Coman told Xpress that discussions are underway to find a date for another hearing, but that Blue Ridge Concrete will not have to resubmit its application.

Read the full story

Also online:
Citizen-Times article
WLOS video

Here’s a quick video of the crowd that turned out for the hearing:

Video by Ashvegas

Lowe’s announced yesterday it will delay the opening of about 20 new stores this year in hard-hit housing markets.  No doubt this will fuel even more rumors about the Northridge Commons development, but according to this item in today’s Citizen-Times, Lowe’s spokeswoman Karen Cobb says plans for the Weaverville Lowe’s are unaffected.

A couple videos from YouTube Channel FBRiverKeeper, with descriptions and titles provided by him, showing some erosion issues around local development sites:

Erosion into Creek and Lake Louise

This site is dumping sediment into an unnamed tributary that flows into Lake Louise, a popular recreation area in Weaverville.

This is a clear turbidity violation and a violation of erosion control measures, because the site has not been maintained. Sediment is the largest polluter in the French Broad Watershed and the vast majority flow off new construction sites. Recent improvements have only marginally helped the problem.

Wal-Mart Pollution Into Stream

This Walmart site in Weaverville, NC and shows a lack of erosion control that is depositing massive sediment pollution into Gill Branch and an unnamed tributary of Gill Branch.

The North Buncombe Association of Concerned Citizens is sponsoring an online petition you can sign to register your objection to the proposed concrete plant at 50 Murphy Hill Road.

Sign the petition here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stopconcreteplant

Also a couple reminders:

• The public hearing on the concrete plant application will be held Wednesday, March 12 at Noon at the County Training Room (199 College St., Asheville). The North Buncombe Association of Concerned Citizens asserts numbers do count at this meeting, so please plan to attend if you are able.
• If you would like, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to North Buncombe Association of Concerned Citizens.  Donations should be mailed to North Buncombe Association of Concerned Citizens, c/o Martha Claxton, 240 Upper Flat Creek Rd., Weaverville, NC 28787

A Reems Creek Valley Land Preservation Information Meeting will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, March 15 at the Ox Creek Community Center.  Doors open at 9:30 a.m.  The Community Center is located at 346 Ox Creek Road.

Representatives from the Buncombe County Agricultural Advisory Board, the Buncombe County Present Use Value Tax Assessor, Buncombe County Planning Staff and NRCS Staff and District Conservationist, Buncombe County NCSU Extension Office, and the Farmland Program Coordinator with Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy will address issues of and options for land preservation in the Reems Creek Valley.

Discussions will center on preservation of land and family farms in the Reems Creek Valley east of Weaverville, specifically ways to permanently protect property from sub-division and development as well as protecting other conservation values as water quality, wildlife, scenic views and a healthy environment for future generations. Landowners who have already protected their family farms through these programs will also be on hand to discuss their experiences.

This meeting is sponsored by the Buncombe County Agricultural Advisory Board. The Board has recognized the Reems Creek Valley as a priority area in Buncombe County for preservation.  This meeting will give anyone who is interested an opportunity to hear about current programs and current events related to land preservation. 

A community gathering to discuss plans for the upcoming concrete plant public hearing will take place Saturday, March 1, beginning at 4:30 pm., at the Pohl-Zaretsky home.  The concrete plant public hearing remains scheduled for Noon on Wednesday, March 12.  If you are concerned about the proposed concrete plant on Murphy Hill Road, you should consider attending this gathering.  Please RSVP and get directions by calling 645-9291 or e-mailing pohlzaret@aol.com. 

Here’s the information Aaron provided me about the March 1 gathering.  If you need further details please contact him at the number or e-mail address listed above:

1. We will smoke a large turkey, provide tabouli (a middle eastern salad), and some dessert. If you are so inclined, please bring some food or beverage to add to the “stone soup”! If you can’t, please just bring yourselves and share the food and drink which I am sure will be plentiful.
2. All are welcome, don’t hesitate to bring children.
3. If the weather cooperates, we will have an outdoor bonfire.
4. We have limited parking by our home.  If you are able, please park at the field to the right of the driveway (it will be marked) and walk up the hill to our house.   If you choose to drive, please turn around at the top of the hill and park facing down hill.  You might want to offer folks walking up the hill a lift. (Directions available when you RSVP).
5. Dress informally and prepare to meet your neighbors and have a great time.
6. Please RSVP and let us know how many are in your party so we can prepare.

Several of you have already made generous contributions to North Buncombe Association of Concerned Citizens. If you have not and would like to do so, please mail your tax deductible contribution to Martha Claxton at 240 Upper Flat Creek Rd., Weaverville, NC 28787. 
 
This upcoming public hearing is by far our best (and least expensive) hope for making sure that the concrete plant is not built on the Murphy Hill site. If we do lose, we will have to appeal, and we can only appeal utilizing the facts that were introduced at the public hearing.  Numbers do count at the hearing so it is important that EVERYONE come to speak to register your concern - if only for a few moments.

Here’s a short video “fly-by” of the indoor section of the Multi-Purpose Athletic Center (MPAC) initiative:

If you haven’t heard of MPAC before now, it’s a non-profit initiative of the North Carolina Mountain Youth Soccer Association, but it’s not just about soccer.  The plans being proposed could bring to Weaverville indoor and outdoor multi-use atheltic fields, tennis courts, a walking/running track, playground, basketball and racquetball courts, therapetutic and olympic pools, and a fitness center, all in one complex.  You can read the Weaverville Tribune article (it’s on pages 12-13) or the recent opinion piece in the Mountain Xpress for more information.  You can also contact Executive Director Randy Bassham at 645-2030 or executivedirector@ncmaysa.com for information, to join the mailing list to stay updated on MPAC’s progress, or to find out how you can help make this athletic complex a reality in Weaverville.

The following information was provided by the North Buncombe Association of Concerned Citizens. If you would like to receive further announcements and updates about the status of the proposed concrete plant, or if you would like to assist or testify at the public hearing, contact Aaron at pohlzaret@aol.com.

The Public Hearing to grant a Conditional Use Permit for the concrete plant on Murphy Hill Road in Weaverville has been scheduled for Noon on Wednesday, March 12, at the County Training Room (199 College Street).

According to County officials, this Public Hearing is not likely to be canceled. A large, well organized turnout is the community’s best chance of preventing the concrete plant from being built. If we lose at this hearing, our only option is to file a legal appeal. When we took on the Vulcan quarry proposal a few years ago, it cost over $300,000 and was an enormous time drain in the lives of many wonderful people. We hope not to have to repeat that experience.

Numbers do count! For this reason, it is critical that we turn out as many folks as possible and we are well organized in our testimony. Please share this information with anyone who may be interested and urge them to help and to testify at the hearing. We can only base an appeal on testimony, oral or written, which is introduced at this hearing. In a legal appeal, no new information can be introduced. Therefore, it is imperative we are well organized and thoroughly cover all the reasons why this project should never be built.

The organization used to lead the fight against the Vulcan Quarry, the North Buncombe Association of Concerned Citizens, has been reorganized. All donations to this organization will be tax deductible. If you would like to make a donation to help with costs, please send a check to:

North Buncombe Association of Concerned Citizens
c/o Martha Claxton
240 Upper Flat Creek Road
Weaverville, NC 28787

Developer Greg Phillips of Weaverville Partners will hold an informal drop-by meeting 10:30 a.m.-Noon on Saturday, February 16 in the lower level of the Weaverville Library. He will have preliminary site plans for Weaver Village (McPhail Property) available for review and will be there to answer questions and to hear concerns and suggestions.  Everyone is invited.  The Weaverville Library is located at 41 North Main Street.

Buncombe County is in the process of composing a plan for the development of walking and bicycling trails throughout the County and has released the initial draft of the trails/greenways map (note: this is a rather large pdf file) on the County’s website.  They are seeking public input beginning now through February 22.  You can identify places you would like to see trails/greenways and submit comments to Linda Glitz at lindag@landofsky.org or by calling 251-6622.  You can also view the map at an informal, drop-in meeting at the Land of Sky Regional Council (located at 339 New Leicester Highway, Suite 140) on February 7.

The full news release about the development plans is here.

No surprise, but the Weaverville Zoning Board of Adjustments approved the Reems Creek Residential Community at the Wednesday night meeting.  I’ve been out of town this week and couldn’t make it, but here’s what I heard from someone who was there:

• Although the project was approved, it was approved with notable changes that will make the proposed development more acceptable to the community.
• The developer agreed to remove the two large 3-story 18-unit buildings up on the East ridge and if they are replaced, it will be with smaller two-story buildings.
• The developer expressed a firm belief in darkness or low ambient lighting for the roads, buildings and landscaping.
• The board requested that all buildings that have a current 45′ roofline, be brought back in compliance with the 35′ roofline ordinance on the books, so the architecture of the taller buildings may change.  This has to do with the ability of the fire department to reach that high.  
• The designs of the buildings were very good with dark colors that blend in with the forest.
• The developer stated that 280 units is the top number of units and that they may never build that many.  Their current plan is to build the main entry bridge first and start the first phase down there.  The other phases of building will be done over a four-year period.
• The developer also said their building plans intend to keep the current trees in as many places as possible (especially the perimeter) and supplement them with natural plants, grasses and trees.
• Other issues about the roads and the bridge have to be worked with the state DOT.

Richard Bernier has put together this video preview of the new Northridge Commons shopping development, utlizing plans the developer has available on the Northridge Commons website.

You can also view this and other Weaverville videos on his Weaverville News Channel on You Tube.