East Asheville site proposed for new duplex, townhome housing development

ASHEVILLE - A new residential development has been proposed for Oakley, adding new townhomes on a parcel between Wood Avenue and Bleachery Boulevard.

The project, dubbed "Wood/Beachery Residential," proposes 13 new buildings that would contain a total of 23 townhomes near the Target on Tunnel Road. The developer has not decided if the units would be sold or would be rented, neighborhood meeting notes indicate.

Michael Keleher from the Asheville-based civil engineering firm Civil Design Concepts held a neighborhood meeting over Zoom on June 5 with about 18 neighbors attending.

Keleher said the developer for the site recognizes "the need for more housing" in Asheville and believes the proposal is "more compatible for the area." Keleher described the development as "a mixture of residential units, but mostly duplexes." Development plans indicate 10 buildings would be duplexes while three others would be single-unit homes.

The developer of the site is Christopher Eller, who is also the principal and founder of Civil Design Concepts.

Eller's previous projects include serving as part of a three-person partnership to develop Foundation Studios in the River Arts District . Through a real estate holding company, Signature Opportunity C5 LLC, the developer owns other parcels just down Bleachery Road that recently saw permits to become new single-family homes, the city of Asheville permitting portal indicates. The current property is owned by the Tom S. Rhodes Family Trust, according to Buncombe County tax records.

The project also proposes a new high-visibility crosswalk at the intersection of the development and Wood Avenue.

Neighborhood meeting and comments

Adjacent homeowners Chris Nemec and Joey Gibson expressed concerns about the project during the meeting. Nemec wondered if the developer would include a three-way-stop or stop light at the proposed intersection that would be created around a curve on Wood Avenue, a neighborhood meeting transcript indicates.

Nancy and Richard McBrayer, property owners adjacent to the development, attended the meeting noting that the city has a "need for more housing," noting that they own duplexes that neighbor the project site. Those units "rent as quick as we can turn them over," they said.

"It's needed here," the McBrayers said of housing, according to the meeting transcript.

As the new townhome project requires a Level II planning approval, the developer will have to receive approval from the city of Asheville Planning and Zoning Commission at which the public can comment on the proposal. Currently, the development is set for a Aug. 19 Technical Review Committee meeting where public comment is not taken.

More: Answer Man: How many residents qualify for affordable housing in Asheville?

More: Prominent Asheville broker listed unpermitted Airbnbs, raising NCREC ethics questions

Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com.Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times .

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: East Asheville site proposed for new duplex, townhome housing development