Ferry Road Development: Building a Community
Ferry Road Development: Building a Community
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners is moving forward with plans to develop its Ferry Road property. The County will begin soliciting a master development partner in 2024 to realize its vision for an equitable, mixed-income community that aligns with the goals of the Buncombe County 2025 Strategic Plan by emphasizing environmental stewardship, creation of recreational opportunities, and development of affordable housing.
Solicitating Master Development Partners
Buncombe County is now soliciting Master Development Parnters. The Solicitation will release May 12 and will remain open until Aug. 9. 2024. For information, contact Sarah Odio at odio@sog.unc.edu or Buncombe County Procurement to learn more. https://www.buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/purchasing/default.aspx
Building a community
The County is pursuing a plan that features at least 650 residences, with more than half of the apartments and single-family homes reserved for affordable housing. The community will offer opportunities for households earning less than 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) such as teachers, childcare workers, and first responders, to rent or buy a home surrounded by abundant natural resources.
Conservation at the heart
A key feature is the conservation of 70+ acres along the French Broad River, guaranteeing protections of tributaries and an ecologically significant wetland. Additional benefits include potential access to childcare and/or health care facility on site and recreational opportunities with a community green, pocket parks, and nearly 4 miles of new trails and greenway connecting the community to larger Buncombe County trail network.
After gathering public input and feedback, the plan was created to meet the following goals, or guiding public interests:
Development of the Ferry Road site should:
- Create a diverse, mixed-income, multi-generational community;
- Be a model for sustainability & stewardship by conserving at least 55% of the site’s natural resources;
- Be a hub and connector for recreational opportunities and provide equitable access to residents;
- Provide equitable transportation access and prioritize pedestrian and bicyclists;
- Include commercial or service-oriented uses that are “harmonious” with residential uses; and
- Optimize public investment and attract private investment.
Contact us: For questions contact Timothy Love at timothy.love@buncombecounty.org or 828-250-5243.
Ferry Road Overview Video
Project History
Starting in late 2021, Buncombe County held several stakeholder and community input sessions to identify the preferred use of the site. Neighbors, community organizations, and the general public shared their ideas for the future of the site and the needs they hoped any development would meet.
In April 2022, the Board of County Commissioners endorsed a set of goals for the site and engaged UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Government’s Development Finance Initiative (DFI) to expand on the Ferry Road Land Use Plan developed by Equinox.
In January 2024, staff moved forward in the Ferry Road Affordable Housing development process by submitting a re-zoning application for review to the City of Asheville’s Technical Review Committee (TRC) . This marked the beginning of the City’s formal development process.
The process includes the following steps.
Technical Review Committee
- Rezoning Application Submission: January 10th
- Meeting: February 5th
- Planning and Zoning Commission
- Application Submission: February 9th
- Meeting: March 6, 2024
- Asheville City Council Hearing
- Public Hearing: March 26, 2024
- In April 2024, the Tourism Development Authority awarded the Ferry Road project $4 million in LIFT grant funds for the greenways and trails components of the development.