Locunity/Buncombe County, NC·Other
Hears zoning appeals, variances and other land use cases.
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Recent updates from Governing Board
Board debated whether Bruce Snailson, who farms 318 feet from the proposed airstrip but said he was not opposed, had standing, and granted it.
Why it matters: The debate clarifies how harm and uniqueness are judged for standing, and gave a neighbor cross-examination rights that helped shape binding permit conditions.
Board grants Kevin Barker a special use permit for a private short takeoff and landing strip, limited to STOL aircraft, three flights weekly, and northern takeoffs and landings.
Why it matters: Permit conditions run with the land, so future owners inherit flight caps and direction limits, an approach the board noted as personal strips become more common.
Board of Adjustment grants a special use permit for a fee-based disc golf, soccer and volleyball complex at 586 Cane Creek Road with limits on commercial activity.
Why it matters: The ruling shows how a private, fee-based recreation business can operate in rural residential zoning, with food truck, sales and no-event-center limits set by the county.
Members thanked chair Andy Ball at his last hearing; two new members are expected and the board has advertised for his seat.
Why it matters: Leadership and membership are changing on the board that decides quasi-judicial land use permits.
The chair explained standing versus witness roles, expert testimony limits and ex parte disclosure duties before hearing both cases.
Why it matters: The board's discretion is limited to competent, relevant and substantial evidence, so how residents participate determines what the board can legally consider.
After debate over self-created hardship, the board reduced a rear setback from 15 to 0 feet for an occupied Clayton manufactured home.
Why it matters: The case tests whether a contractor's error bars relief when the county had issued a temporary occupancy certificate; denial would displace a family 60-90 days.
Board reduced the minimum lot size for septic from 30,000 to 13,939 square feet for a home already under construction.
Why it matters: The lot was approved assuming sewer service; without relief a partially built home could not be completed after the nearest tap proved roughly 900 yards away.
Residents cited a blind curve crash and omitted Hawthorne Apartments traffic; the applicant's engineer said NCDOT set and approved the study scope.
Why it matters: Neighbors say an unstudied adjacent complex and blind curve raise crash risk; the board deferred to NCDOT's regulatory approval of the traffic study.
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Board Clears Private Airstrip With Flight Caps, Approves Disc Golf Complex A farmer whose family has worked the same valley since 1802 helped shape the rules for a new private airstrip next door. Buncombe County's Board...
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Board Clears 305 Apartments Near Blue Ridge Parkway, Defers Traffic to NCDOT Buncombe County's Board of Adjustment on Sept. 9, 2026, approved a 305-unit apartment complex off Sweeten Creek Road beside the Blue Ridge Par...
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