Frustration over big development hits a boiling point in Waynesville

Mar. 22—A standing-room only crowd voiced objections to the flurry of apartments and townhome developments encroaching on residential neighborhoods during a 4.5-hour Waynesville planning board meeting Monday night.

There are nine projects currently in the pipeline that will net more than 800 new units in Waynesville once built, not counting 250 units that have already come on line. The latest projects to join the list are a 60-unit apartment complex and 59-unit townhome project in the East Street area, which were on deck for a public hearing this week.

"We are repeatedly asking you to slow down and do further research before blindly approving these projects," said Charlotte Rogers, a resident who spoke at the hearing. "Your citizens are voicing concerns that are falling on deaf ears. There is so much happening all over Waynesville. Let us catch our breath. Let us see if there is a need for more."

Rogers' comments echoed a recurring theme at Waynesville planning board meetings lately — one that pits neighbors against out-of-town developers, with the planning board stuck in the middle.

Planning board members say they've had no choice but to approve the developments because they comply with the town's zoning rules. Those rules, which date back 20 years, allow high-density apartment complexes in almost every neighborhood of town.

If residents don't like it, their beef is with the town, not the developer, said Patrick Bradshaw, a Waynesville engineer with Civil Design Concepts.

"The developer simply plays by the rules as established by the town. If you think those are fundamentally incorrect, I encourage you to take those concerns to the town of Waynesville," Bradshaw said during a community outreach meeting ahead of the public hearing.

And that's exactly what residents did.

"The town is too worried about grow, grow, grow," said Kimberly Turner Mathis, who's Haywood roots go back seven generations. "Our little area is being targeted by developers, and we are being too lenient. Where are we going to put these people who come in here? Are we going to build new schools? Somebody needs to back up and slow down."

The planning board members, however, said their hands were tied. New state rules force the planning board to approve a project if it meets the town's zoning rules.

"The state legislature in North Carolina, which is pro-development, has put new policies and procedures on all local planning boards," said Planning Board Chairwoman Ginger Hain. "Our job is to look at our ordinance book. That's all. I know you will go home disappointed, but we are not voting for or against the development or the neighbors. We are going by the book."

Time for a pause?

There is another solution to residents' concerns over unprecedented growth, however: change the town zoning rules. And the planning board has been trying to do just that.

After growing frustrated by its own zoning rules last fall, a subcommittee of the planning board has been working to revamp the criteria for large-scale projects.

But three more developments have come along in the meantime. That had prompted a couple of planning board members to wonder whether a moratorium might be an option, which had been brought up as a question at a previous meeting.

A moratorium would put a pause on new development while giving the planning board breathing room to finish its rewrite.

"Can we explore the idea of a moratorium?" asked Planning Board Member Marty Prevost.

"There is a way to do that," said Development Services Director Elizabeth Teague.

But it can be tricky legally and must be very carefully crafted, she said. For example, what type of development would the moratorium put a pause on?

"These large multifamily developments," replied Planning Board Member Don McGowan.

"And how large is too large?" Teague posed, noting the many nuances that would have to be decided.

Teague said another approach could be pausing large developments that require new sewer treatment plant allocations, since the town has limited sewer plant capacity left under a state order (see related article).

A moratorium would ultimately be up to the town board of aldermen. The planning board could merely make a recommendation, Teague said.

Hain questioned whether the constituents raising concerns over growth should be the ones to ask for a moratorium.

"I would recommend that the public do that. Go to the aldermen and ask for it," Hain told the audience.

Hain sympathized with the public, saying she has been in their shoes.

"You know who my new neighbor is going to be? An 84-unit rental property two lots down from me. You think I'm happy? No," said Hain.

The planning board decided to add the moratorium issue to its agenda for a special meeting next month where it will also discuss the new subdivision rules.

On deck

Emotions ran high during the 4.5-hour public hearing Monday night. On the docket were two projects being proposed by the same developer: a 60-unit apartment complex in the Hillside community tucked between East and Pigeon streets and a 59-unit townhome development located off East Street near the old hospital.

Public comments included traffic concerns, right-of-way legalities, depreciation of surrounding property values, loss of identity for the historically African-American Hillside community and stormwater run-off.

The apartment and townhome developments come in well under the allowed density of 16-units per acre for the districts where they're located. They also set aside more acreage as open space than is required.

"Instead of pushing the density to the max, they have less of a footprint and more civic space," noted Planning Board Member Michael Blackburn.

For example, the built-upon acreage for the apartment complex only uses four acres out of a seven-acre tract.

"They are placing the two apartment buildings and parking lots on the flattest, central portion of the site to minimize hill disturbance and reduce grading," said Town Planner Olga Grooman.

The developer, Quartz Properties, voluntarily chose to comply with the new zoning rules still being crafted, even though they aren't on the books yet.

"They exceeded what the subcommittee is likely going to be proposing. They looked at the new rules and they blew it out of the sky," Hain said.

Rogers said the bigger question is whether the pace of apartment construction should be reined in, however.

"Our small rural neighborhoods have been falling victim to big development being forced into incompatible spaces," Rogers told the planning board. "Our exceptional landscapes and quiet serenity are fading fast."

The planning board approved the apartment project, but the townhome development still has to go before the board of aldermen for final approval. The townhome project requires a conditional use permit, which requires town board sign-off versus the standard site plan approval by the planning board.

Three planning board members voted against the townhome project due to legal questions over the right of way access, which could require the site plan to be altered.

The apartment development also faced legal questions over its right-of-way access, which neighbors threatened to challenge in court.

Planning board members expressed frustration over these issues not being worked out ahead of time.

"There appears to be a legal cloud that we cannot reconcile here tonight," McGowan said. "I want an accurate picture of what's going on in these major developments, and we aren't getting it. To come here and put all this on us and get the neighbors all riled up when they don't have a basic right-of-way understanding is ridiculous."

Jake Libaire with Quartz Properties, who came to Waynesville all the way from Montana for the public hearings, said the projects will be a positive thing for the town as a whole.

The townhome project offers cottage-style living with no yard work, yet shared common areas for walking, throwing a ball and picnicking.

"It appeals to everyone from millennials to retirees and everything in between. It's a style of development that's getting more popular in my opinion," Libaire said.

As for the apartments, they won't be high-priced luxury units, he said.

"We build what we call attainable housing. We try to hit the middle of the market. Pricing people out does nothing for us," Libaire said.

He did not share the projected price point for either, however, nor whether the townhomes would be rented or sold to individual owners.