No parcel too small for duplexes in Waynesville's development landscape

Mar. 27—The development of an eight-unit duplex on a narrow one-acre parcel of land in Waynesville drew opposition from neighbors and concerns from some Waynesville Planning Board members during a review of the project earlier this month.

Several nearby residents spoke at a planning board public hearing, claiming the duplexes are not compatible with the surrounding single-family homes.

"It is a family community," said Ralph Michael, arguing against a multi-family development of eight units an acre is out of character for the neighborhood.

Opponents also cited drainage concerns and safety issues, some of which were shared by planning board members.

However, the planning board ultimately approved the development. The town is legally obligated to approve a development project if it meets town zoning rules, and in this case it did, according to Planning Board attorney Ron Sneed.

Sneed told the planning board it had no leverage in the matter. The project meets the town's density standards for that zoning district.

"It is a checklist process," Sneed said. "They hit the checks, they get the project. You run into things that you wish you could deal with. You look at the character of the neighborhood, which you wish you could deal with. The water runoff is an issue, but again it hasn't risen to the level that gives this board or the town much leverage to say 'Put in stormwater controls or we are not going to approve this project.' "

Unusual origin story of Oakdale duplex parcel

A Waynesville man hoping to score an extra lot next door to walk his dog will instead have an eight-unit duplex as a neighbor.

Last year, Chris Amsler came before the Waynesville town board asking to buying a 1-acre parcel of land the town happened to own in the Nineveh community along Oakdale Road. The narrow nature of tract would make it difficult to build on anyway, he claimed. Amsler hoped to buy it from the town and keep it as open space for walking his dog.

That sparked a decision among the town council about what to do with the parcel. The town council decided the town had no use for the property, but was split on what to do with it — ultimately resulting in a rare 3-2 split vote.

The town legally can't sell property to a private individual without putting it up for auction to the highest bidder.

Council Members Chuck Dickson and Jon Feichter suggested giving Habitat for Humanity or Mountain Projects first dibs on the property to use for an affordable housing project rather than auction it off. But Dickson and Feichter were overruled by the other three council members who decided to put it up for bid and see what the town could get.

Council Member Anthony Sutton questioned whether it would support development anyway given how narrow it was. Amsler's well-intentioned offer to buy the parcel for $31,000 ultimately back-fired.

Developers jumped on the parcel when it went up for bid. A bidding war ensued, with the final sale price of $69,000 from a developer.

While the town will profit from the sale, Dickson still believes it would have been better to see the property sold to Habitat for Humanity at a reduced rate for affordable housing.

Planning Board Chair Susan Teas Smith said the board had no choice but to greenlight the development.

"We are constrained by the ordinance," Smith said before the vote. The project fell under an administrative review, meaning it does not go on to town council, but the planning board vote is the final say.

Planning Board Member John Baus said he was opposed to changes made by the Town Council two years ago that constrained the planning board's power to extract concessions from developers or veto projects not in keeping with the community character.

"I disagreed with it then and I disagree with it more so now that I am on this board," Baus said. "This plan is emblematic of what is wrong with our system, our codes for the last two years."

Project specifics

The duplex project is being undertaken by local developer Jeff Powell. The parcel was previously owned by the town, and Powell was the highest bidder of $69,000 when the town auctioned it off last year.

The narrow parcel is an island of land between Oakdale Road and Grayden Street. Powell had intended to build two single-family homes on the parcel. But after buying the property, he discovered the location of a water line that was not properly identified.

Powell said the water line's location was 35 feet off, and it runs down the middle of the length of the property. The water line requires a 20-foot right-of-way.

"The water line on the original deed was wrong," Powell said, citing unforeseen site conditions. "This is the result of trying to develop the lot to the highest and best use."

The town offered to buy the property back after the water line issue was discovered but Powell refused, according to Development Services Director Elizabeth Teague.

Each duplex will be two-stories. Each unit will be 975-square-feet with two bedrooms and 2.5 baths. Each unit will share a parking area that can accommodate four vehicles.

Nearby resident Ralph Michael voiced concerns with vehicles backing out onto Oakdale Road. Three of the driveways will be on Oakdale Road while the fourth will be on Grayden Street.

"We are dumping 12 cars directly on to the road (Oakdale)," Michael said. "If you look at that space and space available for parking that means a number of those cars are backing out on to the road, which is quite horrific. I have seen the speeds that cars come down that road."

The orientation of the parcel made it difficult to build sidewalks as required under town development rules.

Powell requested making a payment-in-lieu to the town's sidewalk fund for the amount the sidewalks would have cost, which could then be used by the town to build sidewalks elsewhere.

Due to a prominent ditch line running the length of the property, Waynesville Public Services Director Jeff Stines assessed the site and recommended that a sidewalk not be built as to not disturb the ditch that manages stormwater runoff.

Planning staff was amenable to the payment-in-lieu, noting pedestrian safety was also concern.

"There is a considerable curve on Oakdale Road along the northern side of the site," Land Use Administrator Olga Grooman said. "It would be unsafe for pedestrians to cross there to continue walking on the sidewalk."

But the planning board instructed Powell to work with Development Services on coming up with an acceptable sidewalk plan.

"Sidewalks are one of our priorities," Planning Board Member Ginger Hain said.

Oakdale Road resident Whalen Dillon also raised concerns that the development will create additional flooding problems during heavy rain events. Dillion is a Quantitative Ecologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"The first thing that comes to mind here is where is all that water going to go?" Dillion said. "There are already water problems."