Asheville-area personal landing strip Airbnb? County board approves strip, limits rentals
ASHEVILLE - The Buncombe County Board of Adjustment approved an application for a personal landing strip during its April 10 meeting but expressed concerns about it being used to fly in short-term renters to the property.
The new personal landing strip would be located off of Big Sandy Mush Road, an area where only "small aircraft traditionally used for agricultural purposes" would be used on the property, according to the applicant documents.
Landowners Travis and Rachel Brown applied for the new landing strip. During the meeting, the Browns expressed interest in renting out the single-family home at the location, as they said they already own short and mid-term rentals in the area.
Board Chair Andy Ball expressed worries about the possible use of the home on the property as a STR — also known as an Airbnb — especially if tenants would be allowed to use the airstrip to fly to and from the property, creating more traffic than initially expected.
"That will be something that is, in my mind, contrary to the use of a private landing strip," Ball said of establishing an Airbnb on the site.
Prior to approval by the Board of Adjustment, the Federal Aviation Administration approved the landing strip and submitted it into its master record effective Feb. 12. The airstrip has also been approved by the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Members of the board unanimously agreed to limit rentals at the property to 45 days and over, after the property owners agreed to the conditions.
The board voted 5-1 to approve the landing strip, with Mazelis voting against due to safety concerns.
Board member Joel Mazelis noted how pilots must "really be on their toes" when mountainous terrain surrounds a landing strip.
"We're in the mountains and I think we should strive to make it as safe as possible," Mazelis said, shortly before voting against the plan.
Professional pilot speaks against landing strip
The landing strip application had previously received input from local residents who were concerned about the safety of a single-engine plane flying over the property.
Jesse Peek, a line check airman for commercial airplanes, spoke against the development after being invited to testify by land use and litigation attorney Clint Cogburn.
The area's terrain indicates a crash could be likely at the location, Peek said, describing landing at the location as "unattainable."
"There's a reason we don't have airports in these types of areas," Peek said. "They aren't safe to fly in and out."
Rachel Brown said that might be the case for larger, commercial airplanes, but not the smaller planes they plan on operating.
The Browns brought Charles Huber to testify on the safety of the airstrip.
Huber, who has experience as a pilot, said that while a straight-in landing or straight-out take-off would not be possible at the location, that "does not make it an unsafe airport."
Central Park moved to May 8
After the landing strip was approved, discussion on a new development, dubbed "Central Park," began.
The development would bring 23 single-family homes and 185 new townhomes to two parcels just north of Christ School and directly adjacent to Mills Gap Road.
James Fox, who said he represented the greater Brookwood Neighborhoods, sent an April 8 application for legal standing to the Board of Adjustment, highlighting how neighboring communities worked in-depth with Asheville-based nonprofit RiverLink to place an easement on the property.
In his letter, Fox acknowledged the need for more housing for the area but stated that previous land use restrictions would add more homes than agreed upon when developers worked with the property just before the recession 17 years ago.
"In other words, the proposed 23 homes and 185 town homes reflect a housing density that is 50% greater than what had been agreed upon in the past," Fox wrote.
Fox failed to gain legal standing against the development during the meeting, as he did not have specific individual cause for possible damages from the development.
The development will be discussed again on May 8.
More: As Asheville explores more cottage-style homes, legacy neighborhoods express concerns
Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville-area personal landing strip approved with Airbnb restriction
