News

After developer addresses traffic concerns, planning board endorses 102-unit townhome project

Greenville, S.C.-based developer Brett Basnight introduces his team and its rezoning proposal to the Henderson County Planning Board Thursday evening. [KEVYN CARTER-LONG]

By Amy McCraw, Published: July 24, 2026

Henderson County’s Planning Board on Thursday evening voted to recommend that county commissioners approve a proposed townhome development off U.S. 25 near its intersection with Interstate 26.

The vote endorsing the project off North Cureton Place and U.S. 25 came after developers presented the board with a plan to address traffic safety concerns neighbors and board members raised during a planning board meeting in May. Greenville, S.C.-based developer Brett Basnight also agreed to move some homes in the proposed development out of the 100-year floodplain after hearing concerns from board members.
“In my opinion, it’s a good plan,” board member Trey Ford said as he made a motion in favor of the project. “I’m for it.”
The board voted in favor of the project after Ford’s motion was seconded by board member Jared Owenby. Board member Harvey Nix voted no, saying the proposed development contains too many homes for the area near the busy intersection.
North Cureton Place TH LLC and Basnight have asked the county to change land currently zoned Regional Commercial to a conditional zoning district that would allow the 102-unit townhome development on a 12 ½-acre tract of land. The property is owned by Jeff Egolf, the retired car dealer and father of Henderson County Commissioner Jay Egolf.
At eight units per acre, the project would be built at half the 16-unit-per-acre density allowed under the current commercial zoning, Bill Alexander, the applicants’ attorney, pointed out during the May meeting and on Thursday.
The planning board voted to table the rezoning request in May after neighbors and some board members expressed concern about the safety of North Cureton Place’s intersection with U.S. 25. Several people said they thought turning left from North Cureton Place onto the highway is dangerous and would be more hazardous if the development was built.
Board members at the time said they wanted to see a traffic impact analysis of the area before voting on the zoning change.
“We understand there has been a history of complaints about this intersection for a number of years,” Alexander said Thursday. “Concerns about vehicles turning out there is a legitimate concern, not a result of this project.”
Alexander and Rynal Stephenson, a traffic analysis engineer who conducted the traffic analysis for the developers, told board members the best way to address the hazard at the intersection would be to eliminate the left turn option out of North Cureton Place. Under their plan, vehicles coming from the development would turn right onto U.S. 25 and then make a U-turn at the next traffic light to travel north on U.S. 25.
The North Carolina’s Department of Transportation favors the plan, they said.
No one signed up the speak during a public comment time held at the beginning of the meeting.
But Hunter Marks, the board’s chairman, asked neighbors who attended Thursday’s meeting if they wanted to speak after hearing about the developer’s proposal to address the traffic issues.
Troy Alverson, who lives nearby and owns AAA Septic Tank Service on North Cureton Place, said he has lived in neighborhood for 70 years.
He said he thought the developer’s proposal to eliminate left turns coming out of North Cureton Place will not make the intersection safe.
“I don’t see it working. I don’t think they are looking at this reasonably,” he said. “I understand these people want to sell their property and build these apartment buildings, but at what cost?”
Thomas Poston, who lives in the community, said he was also concerned about how another nearby 160-unit development underway on the other side of U.S. 25 will impact traffic coming from North Cureton Place.
Planning board member Jason Davis said he too was concerned about drivers crossing the busy highway to get to the redlight to make a U-turn if the left turn out of Cureton is eliminated.
After discussing the traffic concerns, board member Candi Guffey said she thought the developers should change their plans to move some homes out of the floodplain.
Ford made his motion to recommend the project for county commissioner approval after developers agreed to change their plans for where those homes would be located.
He said he was satisfied with the developer’s plans to have drivers make a right out of North Cureton Place and then a U-turn to travel north on U.S. 25.
“Going across lanes, that is driving,” he said. “That’s just normal driving.”
Jay Egolf said in an interview in May that he planned to recuse himself from the rezoning case when it comes before the Board of Commissioners. He defended the proposed development, however, as consistent with his votes in the past in favor of residential development near highways with the capacity to handle the increased traffic.
It was unclear Thursday when the Board of Commissioners might take up the proposed development.