Real Estate

Zoning 101: Understanding Buncombe County Zoning and Real Estate in Asheville, North Carolina

Zoning can be a confusing topic no matter where you own real estate, whether it’s a large city like Charlotte, NC, a small town like Asheville, NC, or a rural area like Buncombe County in western North Carolina. . Zoning is a tool used to designate individual areas of land for specific purposes. When used correctly, zoning can help rapidly developing cities and counties create a smart growth plan. This is one of the reasons Buncombe County Commissioners are implementing new zoning in the metropolitan region surrounding Asheville, North Carolina.

The new zoning, adopted in May 2007, affects property owners throughout Buncombe County, as well as prospective real estate buyers, sellers and investors. A clear understanding of zoning ordinances and restrictions is essential if you are going to own real estate. It affects the value of your home and the choices you can make when selling or building on your property. This applies to both residential real estate and commercial property owners.

Zoning Rules for Real Estate in Asheville, NC: The Importance of Community Responsibility

In a video titled “Will Zoning Affect You?” on the Buncombe County website, [http://www.buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/Planning/landUse.htm], Deputy County Manager Jon Creighton explains the county’s motivation for rezoning in the spring of 2007 and describes the proposed zoning changes. It also confirms that concerns about the growing number of county residents, developers, and homes being built on mountaintops and slopes have forced Buncombe County and City of Asheville officials to make zoning a priority.

Creighton begins by defining an open-use zoning designation. Open use, or OU, is a zoning typically found in rural areas. Land deemed available for open use means that the property can be bought and sold for a wide variety of residential and commercial purposes with the exception of certain restricted uses. Restricted uses on open-use land include incinerators, concrete plants, landfills, asphalt plants, chip mills, mining operations, and motor sports facilities.

According to Creighton, these types of businesses have a huge impact on the community as a whole, which is why any real estate investor or owner interested in these ventures should present a project proposal at a public hearing. This allows other owners and homeowners in the Asheville area to hold Western North Carolina commercial and real estate developers accountable for the impact they have on existing neighborhoods and residents.

How does zoning affect buyers and sellers of homes and land in the mountains near Asheville, North Carolina?

Comprehensive zoning throughout Buncombe County and Asheville, NC also changed in 2007. Comprehensive zoning differs from open use because it separates residential and commercial areas into designations such as R-1 and R-2 residential districts, employment districts, and residential districts. commercial and neighborhood services. . Buncombe and Asheville County home buyers and sellers can find their property’s zoning designation using the county’s online GIS system. The system can be found at [http://www.buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/Planning/landUse.htm].

Property owners and real estate investors interested in changing the zoning designation of a specific piece of land can approach the Buncombe County Commissioners and Board of Adjustment. Public hearings are required if an Application for Variations or Conditional Use Permits or a Request to Amend the Text or Maps of the Buncombe County Zoning Ordinance is filed. To obtain a building permit for any zoning district that is not open use, real estate investors and property owners must submit a Certificate of Zoning Compliance. The cost associated with these applications varies.

Size counts! Downtown zoning at issue on Merrimon Avenue

The latest zoning debate to take place in Buncombe County is taking place in downtown Asheville, NC. In an article by Mark Barrett in the January 15, 2008 edition of the Asheville Citizen Times, the Asheville City Council will explore two major zoning issues in 2008. First, the developers of the Horizons Project, which would construct nine buildings, including two of 10- Story Towers, have asked to postpone a public hearing until July to assess neighbor opposition and economic conditions.

Barrett also writes that the “Asheville city council is scheduled to hear from city staff on zoning proposals for the 2.4-mile stretch of Merrimon between Interstate 240 and the North Asheville Library near Beaver Lake” . “The city had considered creating a new zoning district for much of the property along the street that would encourage the construction of taller buildings closer to the street,” continues Barrett, “but several property owners and some residents opposed it. “.

As Buncombe County moves into the future, growth is inevitable, but the real effects zoning will have on real estate in Asheville, North Carolina remains to be seen. Local homebuyers and sellers can achieve more real estate success the more educated they are about zoning restrictions and changes. For more information on zoning or buying and selling real estate in Asheville, NC, visit http://www.MarkGJackson.com.

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