Asheville for All

Here’s what we found to be the most important housing-related items at Asheville’s City Council meeting of Tuesday, February 25, 2025.

Prologue: What Is a Conditional Zoning Request?

The two items we want to highlight from the last City Council meeting were both “conditional zoning” requests. So what does that mean?

A “conditional zoning” request is what happens when a developer wants to build something, but their plans include parameters that aren’t normally allowed in the place where they want to build. Instead of being able to build “by right,” the builder is required to ask City Council to review the case, at their discretion, and then City Council approves or denies the project by taking a vote.

It’s worth nothing that these projects most often break the “rules” because the city’s overly restrictive zoning code hasn’t been updated since the 1990s, and is out of step with the city government’s own stated development priorities. In fact, it is customary for those making conditional zoning requests to argue their case based on the city’s own “future land use” goals that were established in Asheville’s most recent comprehensive plan.

(The city has a website with some information about what conditional zoning requests are, and how they relate to other kinds of permittings here.)

Conditional Zoning: “Pine Lane Project” near Brevard Road

Outcome: Approved

Votes:
In favor: Esther E. Manheimer, Bo Hess, S. Antanette Mosley, Sheneika Smith, Kim Roney, Sage Turner, Maggie Ullman

This first conditional zoning request on February 25th was a less than usual case, because it’s a proposal to build an apartment complex with entirely below-market-rate homes. In other words, these homes are all income-restricted to individuals or families making well below the median area income.

An image from the city staff’s presentation at the city council meeting, showing the proposed Pine Lane apartments.

Council actually had two separate votes to make on this one: first, to approve money from the city’s “Housing Trust Fund” to aid the project; and second, a conditional request to approve the actual proposed physical characteristics of the development.

(You can learn more about Asheville’s Housing Trust Fund here.)