Politics

Buncombe to buy long-disputed Bent Creek property

By Bill Moss, Published: March 18, 2015

A tract of land on Bent Creek that has been the subject of a two-decade long dispute between Henderson County and the city of Asheville will go to Buncombe County in a sale that the Henderson County Board of Commissioners approved on Wednesday morning.

Henderson County commissioners unanimously approved — and strongly praised — the sales agreement that David Gantt, the chairman of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, said would result "in an economic development project that will be a big benefit to both of our communities."
Henderson County commissioners in 2014 adopted an interlocal agreement that called for Henderson County and the city of Asheville to market the property and share the proceeds from a sale. Asheville would give its share to Buncombe County for a law enforcement training center.
Buncombe County offered to buy the 137-acre tract at Ferry Road along the French Braod River for $6.815 million, the appraised value. Henderson County commissioners gladly agreed.
"I think for the record it should be pointed out that the county has another offer on the table that we received that's substantially less than this price," Commissioner Bill Laplsey said.

Under an agreement signed last year, Henderson County gets half the proceeds from the sale and the city of Asheville gets half, which the city must then give to Buncombe County. "We're getting the full appraisal price," County Manager Steve Wyatt said. "They (Buncombe) have every incentive to give us the full appraisal because they can still make money — a lot of money."

Wyatt said he did not know details of an "economic development" project that Gantt referred to but said buyers had expressed interest, including one as recently as Tuesday who wanted to scope out the riverside land for a residential development.
Commissioners praised the agreement and the work of the county staff in negotiating it.
"We have been dogging that property for over a decade trying to get it resolved and here's a resolution that's beneficial to both our counties," Commissioner Grady Hawkins said.
The ownership and future use of the property has been in dispute since Henderson County received it in a deal with the city of Asheville over access to the Mills River for a water plant. Henderson and Buncombe counties and the city of Asheville last year negotiated a resolution to sell the property a few weeks before Henderson County's right to use the land was to expire.
"Since that time we have had numerous discussions, inquiries from the property and have had considerable interest," County Manager Steve Wyatt said. "However, given the parameters regarding the sale and the proceeds of the sale, staff has been in negotiations with Buncombe County about the possibility of Buncombe County actually being the purchaser and we've laid out the advantages to the parties regarding that."
Wyatt thanked Assistant County Manager Amy Brantley, County Attorney Russ Burrell and Business and Community Development Director John Mitchell for "hundreds of hours" of work early in the morning and late at night in marketing the property, negotiating the sale and consummating the agreement, and also thanked the elected commissioners.
"I'd like to thank each of your for your support in getting this done," he said. "Staff has worked diligently and that's true but without support of this board this would not be possible. There's a long history in this and it is especially gratifying when I see the government work together as a team as Henderson County does."