News

Neighbors continue to oppose proposed Haywood Road development

Nearly 200 people attended a meeting with the developers of a proposed project on Haywood Road.

By Amy McCraw, Published: August 20, 2025

Nearly 200 people filled a conference room at Blue Ridge Community College on Tuesday evening for a meeting with developers who want to rezone a portion of Haywood Road for a 180-unit planned community.

Noone spoke in favor of the project during the meeting that lasted more than two hours.
Jim McKinley, a resident of nearby Druid Hills, told developers of the proposed Cottages at Hendersonville and members of the city’s planning staff that he came to ask them a rhetorical question.
McKinley said the developers knew when they proposed the Cottages that the area where they want to build was not zoned to accommodate that type project. He then asked “Why are we here? Why has it gotten this far?”
Those who attended the meeting applauded McKinley’s question.
The meeting on Tuesday was a continuation of a neighborhood compatibility meeting for the public to hear about and comment on the proposed Cottages at Hendersonville development, a planned community on 21 acres on the two-lane road between Maplewood Court and Blythe Street. The city planning board and city council will both hold public hearings when they take up the rezoning request in the coming weeks.
As was the case in the first meeting, opponents of the project expressed concerns about traffic, stormwater runoff and wildlife habitat among other things.
The applicant is Advenir Azora Development LLC, a Miami-based development company that has built 2,300 residential units and has 5,000 more units valued at $1.2 billion in the pipeline.
The company is asking that the city rezone the property on 1741 Haywood Road from medium-density residential to planned residential development to allow for the construction of 180 two-, three- and four-bedroom dwellings on 21 acres.
During the first neighborhood compatibility meeting, homeowners packed two rooms at City Hill to hear about the development. Scott Weathers, Advenir’s development and construction manager, spent most of the first meeting and the second meeting on Tuesday parrying opponents’ criticism. He also offered to clarify and explain more about the development in response to some people’s questions and concerns.
J.J. Kisgen, a resident who lives near the proposed development, asked Weathers if the 180 number of units for the project was “make or break.”
Many in the crowd laughed when Weathers said 180 was the minimum number for the development.
Ann Fennell, a who also lives near the proposed development, said she was concerned about how garbage from the 180 units will be handled and about how much more traffic will be on nearby roads because of the project.
She also said the city should not allow the developer’s request for the zoning change because many in the community want to live in an area a development like the Cottages is not allowed.
“To say you can change mid-stream…this is exactly what the zoning was put in place to protect us from,” she said.
The vacant land at 1741 Haywood Road was purchased by commercial real estate broker and developer Jeff Justus in 2015 for $500,000, land records show. It’s valued on the tax books at $664,900.