News

Tap Root developer drops apartments

Drawing of development shows location of single homes (blue and red), townhomes (brown and purple) and a clubhouse, pool and other amenities (green).

By Bill Moss, Published: March 19, 2019

A developer seeking approval for a major subdivision on the Tap Root Dairy property has dropped plans for apartments — removing one component of the proposal that has drawn neighborhood opposition.

A revised rezoning application that the Planning Board will take up this week seeks approval for 1,078 single-family homes and town homes, trimming the total number of units by 146. And in what could be a major victory for the developer, the Federal Aviation Administration submitted a letter to the lead engineers saying that its study had determined that the development would not pose a hazard to air navigation. The FAA action comes after officials with the Asheville Regional Airport warned the Planning Board that building 1,000 dwelling units on the site could lead to nuisance complaints about airport noise.
The Planning Board tabled the rezoning request in February while it awaited the FAA study and a traffic impact analysis. The board takes up the request for a second time at its regular meeting on Thursday. Asheville developer Ken Jackson is seeking approval from Henderson County for the development on 320 acres of the former Tap Root dairy owned by the Johnston family. Bordered by Butler Bridge Road, I-26, the French Broad River and Cane Creek, the land could become the largest subdivision in Henderson County.
A study of nine intersections near the proposed development shows a need for traffic signals, left turn lanes and right turn lanes, according to the traffic impact analysis prepared for the developer. The development would have two access points off Butler Bridge Road — one across from Haw River Road at Riverstone and another 650 feet west of Yadkin Road.
Traffic engineers studied the intersections of:
• NC. 280 and Butler Bridge Road.
• Asheville Highway and Butler Bridge Road.
• N.C. 280 and Fanning Fields Road.
• Butler Bridge Road and Fanning Fields Road.
• Butler Bridge Road and Jeffress Road/Carrie Lane.
• Butler Bridge Road and Haw River Road and a roadway into the new development.
• Butler Bridge Road and Yadkin Road.
• Butler Bridge Road and North Rugby Road.
• Butler Bridge Road and a second access road into the development.
Among the improvements the traffic impact analysis recommended were a left turn lane and dedicated right turn lane into the development at both access points. Exiting the subdivisions, the roadway should be three lanes, the study said.