News

Planners recommend Blythe Commons buildout

By Bill Moss, Published: October 13, 2014

The Hendersonville Planning Board on Monday recommended approval of a developer's plans to add five more townhomes to the Blythe Commons development on Haywood Road at Blythe Street. The advisory panel separately recommended commercial zoning for seven acres on Signal Hill Road behind the Home Depot.

Begun in 2005, the 4.9-acre residential development currently has 15 townhomes of the 20 it is permitted to build under the planned residential development zoning.
The Planning Board recommended site plan approval of five more units — two on the southeast corner of the development and three on the northeast corner along Haywood Road. The Planning Board added a condition requiring the developer to submit an architect's drawing of the new units for review by the city planning staff.
"Generally for an elevation what I'm looking at is the building height to verify that it complies with the zoning ordinance," she said.
During a neighborhood meeting on the request, residents of Blythe Commons, Plantation Walk and Brittain Creek raised concerns about a change in the view, the quality and compatibility of the new units and whether the new townhomes would disturb the creek. Some wanted to know if the new buildings would look like the current ones.
"In the Planned Residential Development we don't have design guidelines for the actual building itself," Anderson said after the meeting.
No neighbors appeared at the Planning Board meeting to oppose the special-use permit.
Art CooleyIn another rezoning case, the board recommended that the City Council rezone 6.74 acres on Signal Hill Road at Linda Vista Road from Residential Commercial Transition to Highway Business. The five parcels range in size from .6 to 3.8 acres and contain offices, a metal building and the WHKP broadcasting tower. No one appeared to oppose the rezoning.
"You feel some day that it might have more value for commercial use than it is for a radio tower," said Art Cooley, the property owner. "You can see too (from the planning staff report) where it's also been requested on many different occasions. I think the time has come for that whole area being as close as it is to a major traffic artery to be a higher commercial priority than it is currently."

Both the Blythe Commons and Signal Hill Road applications go to the City Council on Nov. 6.