On December 16, The Asheville Watchdog published an opinion column by John Boyle titled “Yep, NIMBYism has reared its ugly head in Haw Creek development imbroglio.” The column included quotes from HCCA President Chris Pelly related to the proposed 767 New Haw Creek development. 

Given the difficult options, and their potential impact, neighbors have worked long and hard to achieve some kind of a resolution. Not all agree on what that looks like, or what is possible. Chris Pelly's stated intention in speaking with the columnist was to encourage constructive dialogue by involving an independent third party, with the hope of helping neighbors find common ground. Unfortunately, the result was the opposite. The column heightened tensions and deepened divisions within our community. 

Members of the HCCA board were not aware that Chris planned to meet with the columnist, and the resulting article came as a surprise. While this was not a board-approved action, we recognize that Chris was quoted as speaking on behalf of the entire board. For that reason, we believe it is important to respond. 

We want to state clearly: the HCCA board believes the column portrays our neighbors in an unfair light. That is, the term used by the columnist is one we would never use to describe members of our community. Over the past three years of navigating the complex 767 issue, neighbors have disagreed—and continue to disagree—but board members have strived to hear all sides and avoid name-calling. 

Moving forward, we are committed to rebuilding trust throughout the Haw Creek valley. Our role is to represent all residents. We are volunteers who give our time in service of HCCA’s mission: to enrich lives, protect our natural beauty, and promote safety throughout the Haw Creek valley. We pledge to continue doing our best to uphold these goals. 

In March, six seats will open on the HCCA board. Chris Pelly will not seek reelection. We welcome any Haw Creek valley resident to nominate themselves or a neighbor for a board position. A description of board responsibilities is listed on the website. 

Nominations may be submitted by contacting a member of the Nominating Committee using the public contact form links below:

Doug Baughman: https://hawcreekavl.com/Sys/PublicProfile/SendEmail/66626456

Liz Polfus: https://hawcreekavl.com/Sys/PublicProfile/SendEmail/68533251

Christina Quetel: https://hawcreekavl.com/Sys/PublicProfile/SendEmail/68645942

On Wednesday, December 17, Mayor Manheimer performed the official ribbon cutting, opening the new pedestrian bridge over Haw Creek that now connects the large parking lot to the businesses on the other side. This bridge will enable pedestrians to cross without stepping into traffic on Beverly Road, eliminating a longtime safety concern. 

The Mayor was joined by Creekside Taphouse owners Anthony Dorage and Kim Murray, Civil Engineer Chris Day, and General Contractor Thomas Wolfe (all four instrumental to the success of this project as well as being Haw Creek residents), along with HCCA board members.

In 2022, HCCA secured a $5,000 grant from the City’s Neighborhood Matching Grant program for this project, however, the bulk of the funding has been provided by Creekside Taphouse.

Technical difficulties involving FEMA flood elevations delayed building the bridge over Haw Creek, which utilized the existing AT&T girder. In addition, the contractor had to make changes in the design to secure permit approval.

Significant community improvements can take time to realize. HCCA had been quietly advocating for this long-needed pedestrian bridge since 2021, and we can now celebrate the completion of this important safety improvement.

Photograph by Gabriel Swinney with Swinney Creative (Haw Creek resident)

HCCA is excited to announce that we have received the final – and largest – piece of funding for the Haw Creek Park Greenway. On November 18, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve our application for a $127,784 grant from the County's Open Space Passive Recreation Bond.

We have invested untold hours to secure the funding for this project. Our initial campaign raised $11,115 from generous Haw Creek residents. This support was instrumental in securing the grants needed to fully fund the project, which includes a $5,000 grant from respected greenway advocates Connect Buncombe.

In addition to the funding, we are very grateful for the cooperation and generosity of the landowners: The City of Asheville and civic-minded private landowners. We are also grateful to Jake McLean from Wildlands Engineering, who donated his time and expertise to draw the greenway plans.

With all the funding in place, we are now ready to begin the building process. This natural surface, mostly flat trail will start on Beverly Road – across from Creekside Taphouse and PennyCup – and meander through the woods and a meadow alongside Haw Creek. This will be the first public access to our namesake creek.

We've already done extensive planning, which puts us in a good position to hit the ground running. However, there won't be much visible progress for the first few months as we'll be managing the paperwork to secure the required legal rights, signing agreements with contractors, and procuring materials. If all goes smoothly, we anticipate opening the greenway to the public in the fall of 2026, if not sooner.

On Tuesday, November 17, Asheville City Council voted to deny the proposed entrance bridge for the 767 development. By a 6 to 1 margin, developer Kevin Jackson's request for an alternate entrance to the 'Meadows at Haw Creek' development was denied. Where this leaves the overall project remains unknown. 

Jackson's attorney had consistently argued that the restrictive covenants in Happy Valley would not prevent using Sleepy Hollow Drive as access to 767, but for unknown reasons has not pursued resolution of the issue. 

Council members struggled with balancing the well known need for new housing with concerns the bridge would worsen flood conditions on the site and downstream. Residents objected to the bridge, which was not in the originally-approved development plan passed by City Council in July 2024, and was only requested later when, according to Jackson, his lenders requested he obtain a second entry option. 

Jackson's attorney, Derek Allen, said they may consider legal action in civil court challenging the Council's decision. 

From Asheville City Councilwoman Maggie Ullman: The upcoming town hall will bring City, County, and State partners together. Many of our most urgent challenges — housing, recovery, resilience — depend on us working in partnership, and I hope you’ll join us to share your perspective. 

Serving in public office is about listening — and about choosing connection when delay is easy. Please attend our rescheduled Town Hall in East Asheville, where I’ll be joined by State Representative Brian Turner and County Commissioner Drew Ball. We’ll share updates on key issues shaping our community and, most importantly, hear directly from you about your priorities and concerns. 

Wednesday, November 19

6:00 – 8:00 pm

Haw Creek Commons

315 Old Haw Creek Road

Dustin Clemens, Capital Projects Division Manager with the City of Asheville, has provided the following update: Despite operational challenges of maintaining traffic flow on New Haw Creek Road, progress on the sidewalk project continues steadily, and remains on track for completion in late 2026. 

For the last several months, the focus of the project has been on completing approximately 15 utility crossings, mainly for stormwater and water lines. This work requires pavement cuts and patching across New Haw Creek Road, which must be phased in order to keep the road open during lane closure restricted timeframes. To date, 8 of the approximately 15 utility crossings have been installed. 

Once utility work is complete, the contractor will be able to make faster and more visible progress. 

The recent rains did wash out some of the stone in two of the temporary patching areas, which the contractor addressed earlier this week. The City's project manager, on-site construction inspector, and the contractor will continue to monitor the construction site closely. Asphalt cuts are being patched with asphalt paving in accordance with the engineered (and NCDOT approved) plans and specifications.

The entire roadway will be repaved towards the end of the project, so the current temporary patching will not be a permanent condition.

Mr. Clemens thanks residents for their patience as the city works to improve this road for a safer pedestrian experience and a more connected community.

As of today, it appears City Council will vote this Tuesday, Oct. 28, on the proposal to allow a bridge entrance to the 'Meadows at Haw Creek' development at 767 New Haw Creek Road. If approved, this would be a significant departure from the development plan approved in July 2024, which had the subdivision entrance off lower Sleepy Hollow Drive—and required no bridge entrance. 

City Council meetings begin at 5 pm in city hall and this item ought to come up around 6 pm based on the City Council Agenda.

HCCA is opposed to the bridge, especially with our post-Helene awareness of the impact of flooding, as it is expected stormwater runoff will be vastly increased with a significant risk of downstream flooding. 

As proposed, the majority of the 400' bridge is designed to be a roadway with openings over the creek and wetlands. The remainder of the entrance road would be an earthen embankment that will obstruct the free flow of flood waters along the natural watershed of the property. This is why some have described this as a dam. 

Between the embankment design and increased impervious surfaces, as a result of the new subdivision infrastructure, it is expected stormwater runoff will be both vastly increased and, at the same time, worsened due to the bridge design.

HCCA has consistently called for adhering to the development plan approved last year after negotiations between Mayor Manheimer, the developer's team and HCCA leaders. That plan not only reduced the number of housing units from 95 to 84, it protected nearly 5 acres of mature hardwood canopy, much of it backing to Alpine Way homeowners within Happy Valley. The plan also calls for the developer to provide a sidewalk or greenway alongside New Haw Creek Road connecting Bell Road to Sleepy Hollow Drive. Additionally, the negotiated plan expanded buffering on the west side section to provide better natural screening for surrounding neighbors. 

We need your help getting the ‘No Bridge’ message to City Council. If you can, please join us on Tuesday evening. Even if you don't speak at the meeting, your presence will help send a message in opposition to the bridge proposal. You can also contact members of City Council to express your opinion via email—see their contact info below.

Contact info for Asheville City Council members:

Mayor Esther Manheimer

esthermanheimer@avlcouncil.com

Vice-Mayor Antanette Mosley

antanettemosley@avlcouncil.com

Council Member Kim Roney

kimroney@avlcouncil.com

Council Member Sheneika Smith

sheneikasmith@avlcouncil.com

Council Member Sage Turner

sageturner@avlcouncil.com

Council Member Maggie Ullman

maggieullman@avlcouncil.com

Council Member Bo Hess

bohess@avlcouncil.com

On October 10, developer Kevin Jackson asked that Tuesday's vote on a new entrance to the Meadows at Haw Creek subdivision be postponed until October 28. 

As the applicant, this request is the right of the developer. Generally speaking, this action is typically taken if the applicant is uncertain of the outcome of the planned City Council vote.

Developer Kevin Jackson is seeking City Council support for a second entrance into the ‘Meadows at Haw Creek’ development. This in the form of a bridge across Haw Creek on a raised roadway as much as 15' above the wetlands. The proposal calls for two segments of bridge plus earthen berms totaling about 400’ in length and 30’ wide. 

For the reasons below, HCCA leaders oppose the proposed bridge and entrance road. To defeat this risky change, we need your help. Please contact City Council members and ask them to support the plan they already approved last year and oppose this change. 

ashevillenccouncil@ashevillenc.gov

What’s wrong with the proposed bridge?

Upon completion, much of this 27-acre site will transform from natural drainage to impermeable surfaces–roads & homesites–causing stormwater to be funneled into the wetlands and Haw Creek.

• As evidenced during Helene, stormwater overflowed this site and destroyed the former bridge.
  
• Significant sections of the bridge entrance road will be earthen berms, 30’ or more wide and 10’ in height, thereby further constricting stormwater flow. 
  
• A required engineering study to determine bridge feasibility would not occur until after the City Council vote.
  
• The bridge may result in increased downstream flooding of homes and businesses.
  
• The bridge option would alter the previously approved site plan necessitating retaining walls and causing the greenway to dead-end instead of connecting to Sleepy Hollow Drive.

Tropical Storm Helene showed the power of nature and the impact of flooding. It’s up to us to heed this lesson. The proposed bridge and road across Haw Creek and the wetlands would be a mistake with real-world consequences. Please request City Council vote no. 

Additional Information About the Bridge Proposal

After making steady progress this summer, the New Haw Creek Road Sidewalk project will resume a normal schedule in order to accommodate school traffic. Starting Monday, August 18, there will be no lane closures from 7 am - 9 am and 2 pm - 6 pm.

How to stay informed about water outages during the New Haw Creek Sidewalk project.

To facilitate utility connections during the new sidewalk installation, planned water outages will occur periodically throughout construction of the New Haw Creek Sidewalk project. The City of Asheville's Water Resources Department will notify all affected water customers via AVL Alert about any impending service interruptions. The project team will also update subscribers regarding planned water outages via email, but please be aware that unlike AVL Alert, not all email recipients will be impacted by water outages. Sign up for AVL Alert for alerts specific to your address.