News

Now the owner of Horse Shoe Farm, developer gets OK for 132 rental units

By Bill Moss, Published: February 2, 2018

The Henderson County Planning Board has approved John Turchin’s third attempt to develop Horse Shoe Farm, a pastoral pasture that the Miami developer now owns.

The Henderson County Planning Board and the Board of Commissioners killed two previous requests by Turchin, most recently a plan to build 299 dwellings on a cow pasture on McKinney Road in Etowah and before that his rezoning request to permit 220 units at Horse Shoe Farm.

The revised plan for the land on South Rugby Road across from the Tamarac subdivision reduces the number of dwellings to 132 units, carves out some outparcels with existing homes and drops the density to 1.55 units per acre, from 2.3 units. Revised totals include 74 duplex units, 51 triplex units, a guest suite over an existing barn, three single-family homes, 96 commercial parking spaces and 264 residential parking spaces. In the revised application, Turchin proposes an onsite drip system to treat sewage. The private treatment system would require approval of state water quality regulators, something Turchin has not managed to obtain in any of his first three tries to develop land on the French Broad River.

Neighbors who object to the development say it would add too much traffic and would be out of character with the rural nature of the area.

“The traffic has increased a lot in the past year,” said Barbara Lee, who owns adjoining property on Westwind Drive. “Adding another 133 units is 266 people. That changes the nature of the neighborhood. And another thing that changes the nature of the neighborhood is the fact that these will be rental units. As renters they have little stake in what happens in the neighborhood. … I appreciate Mr. Turchin lowering the density. It’s still too much for that property, and once it’s developed if it’s not a success you can’t undo what’s been done.”

The Planning Board gave the green light to the proposed master plan. Turchin would still have to come back for Planning Board review of a more detailed development plan before he could break ground.

Land records show Turchin bought 10 separate parcels totaling 84 acres for $2.2 million on Dec. 27. Improvements include houses valued at $159,000, $164,700, $53,500, $94,500, $253,700 and $872,700. Turchin said he cut three of the houses out of the revised master plan so he’d have the option of selling them separately.