News

City to consider Stanwood Lane zoning change

city map of rezoning request area

By Amy McCraw, Published: April 15, 2023

The Hendersonville City Council is expected next month to take up a request from a developer to build more homes on property off Stanwood Lane than is admissible under the area’s current zoning designation.

The council is scheduled on May 4 to consider a request to rezone 1.8 acres at 1208 Stanwood Lane from an R-15 zoning district to an R-10 district. If approved, the change will allow property owners Michael Murphy and Ginger Murphy to increase the number of units on the site from six to nine or 10.
The southernmost third of the parcel is divided by Drake Street, which provides access from Kanuga Road to a mobile home park neighboring the property. Most of the land south of Drake Street is in the 100-year floodplain, according to a city staff report on the request.

In an interview after the meeting, Murphy said he did not have a specific plan for the development yet. But he said he hopes to build small homes and avoid building in the floodplain if possible.

The board’s vote to recommend the zoning change came after four residents in the community expressed concern about the proposed development and one said a home Murphy had built in another small development had experienced problems with flooding.
Joyce Mavigila urged the board to reject the Stanwood Lane rezoning to “prevent the new home buyers from the heartache and nightmare I am living” on North Lakeside Drive off Willow Road.
Mavigila said she was concerned about part of the Stanwood Lane property being in the floodplain because of her experience. She learned after she bought her home in 2022 that it had flooded during a tropical storm the previous year.
“Since then, I have been correcting the malfunctions, soil stability and the drainage in addition to the defective grading on the entire property,” Mavigila said.
Mavigila seemed on the verge of tears as she told the board about her experience with her home.
“I’ve spent countless hours seeking answers as to how my development was permitted and built,” she said. “My property is like living in a swamp. Somehow with all the city, county and ETJ ordinances and codes, I have to worry every time it rains.”
She said she was concerned people who buy homes in Murphy’s Stanwood development will have the same problems with flooding.
“Future homeowners at the Stanwood Lane development may not fully recognize the implications or importance of the land their new home is built on,” she said.
Other speakers said they were concerned about increased traffic on Kanuga Road and Drake Street.
The planning board voted 5-1 during its meeting on Thursday in favor of the zoning change for the new development with some members expressing concern about whether it would be compatible with the neighborhood and how more homes being built on the property might impact traffic along nearby roads. The part of the property that lies in the floodplain was also a concern, some board members said. Other members said the zoning change was not substantial and would bring more needed homes to the area.
The City Council is expected to consider the rezoning its regular monthly meeting at 5:45 p.m. Thursday, May 4.