Cathedral of All Souls Wins 5-Foot Fence Over Staff Objection
Historic Resources Commission • AshevilleSeptember 9, 2026
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Asheville's Historic Resources Commission let the Cathedral of All Souls build a taller security fence and cheaper, flood-raised mechanical platforms. To do it, commissioners read around staff's interpretation of Biltmore Village's aging design rules. The commission also stalled an urgent Albemarle Park wall rebuild over an undisclosed tree removal, all under an acting chair after the commission's new leader resigned a day earlier.
- Cathedral of All Souls amendment approved, including a 5-foot fence classified as "service-area screening." The church says the redesign saves $75,000.
- Collapsed 7 Cherokee Road wall continued to October after the owner disclosed a tree removal and power-pole move that weren't in the application.
- Montford porch enclosure approved on condition that a non-metal door replace the proposed metal one.
- Fairview's Ashworth House recommended for National Register listing. The nomination now goes to state reviewers.
Cathedral Fence: Security Beats the Side-Yard Rule
The commission approved amendments to the Cathedral of All Souls' major-work certificate at 3 Angle Street in Biltmore Village. The package includes a 5-foot black metal picket fence around new mechanical equipment, a foot taller than staff said the standards allow.
Why it matters: The church says the changes save $75,000. The debate also showed how difficult Biltmore Village's 1988 standards are to apply. Staff quipped that updating them would take about $30,000.
The basics: A certificate of appropriateness (CA) is the approval required for exterior changes in local historic districts. In July, the commission approved major work at the church. That approval included a raised porch floor, a retained entry vestibule and a pebble-dash-and-brick flood-wall enclosure for mechanical units on the Hendersonville Road side.
Where things stand: The amendment replaces the enclosure. Three units will sit on 4-foot metal platforms on a 28-by-10.5-foot concrete pad, surrounded by fencing and evergreen plantings. The vestibule will be cut down, and the entry doors will be recessed 6.5 inches for ADA clearance.
"This change saves them $75,000, which is a significant cost for this project," said Jenny Gwynn, applicant representative, Beyer Blinder Belle. She said the savings help match the church's fundraising. The platforms sit above the 48-inch flood level the church experienced. Gwynn also said people had breached the garth and kicked in vestibule panels, and that the enclosure will hold incoming electrical panels.
The other side: "The design standards don't allow for fencing this high in a side yard. It's required to be max of 4 feet," said Alex Cole, Urban Planner III and staff liaison. The plans showed a 58-inch fence. Cole also questioned whether the landscaping would fit.
Commissioner Rob Mays argued the church sits in an "institutional" subarea: "As I read it, that 4-foot fence restriction is not applicable." Cole held firm: "In my opinion, the only category this fits in is cottage and mixed use."
A commissioner proposed a way through: "So we call it screening, and it can be 5 feet tall and spears on top and have whatever on top and move along." The board tied the fence to service-area screening on page 40 of Book 1, which sets no height limit.
Door dispute: Gwynn said the original knob, which doesn't meet ADA requirements, will be salvaged and replaced with paired pulls. She said lever conversions won't work because the doors won't latch. "Personally, I think it's kind of crazy that we're now altering the original structure and those front doors … in order to preserve the vestibule that was not original," Commissioner Mays said. Gwynn replied: "This is not the church's preference. But we are happy to move forward with this compromise."
Public commenter Glenn Stack, the landscape architect behind the church's existing shrubs, praised keeping the vestibule. He backed the fence if it is screened "around all edges so it's not visible coming down Hendersonville Road." City legal staff noted he had not presented evidence sufficient to establish standing.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Commissioner Mays moved the findings with the page 40 reference added, and another commissioner seconded. The findings passed by voice vote, with no opposition recorded. The CA followed on a separate voice vote, on condition that door hardware go to staff for review. Individual tallies weren't enumerated.
The church gets its savings and its security. Other Biltmore Village property owners may see the screening interpretation become a template for taller equipment enclosures.
Albemarle Park Wall Stalls on Missing Details
A collapsed railroad-tie retaining wall at 7 Cherokee Road will wait at least another month. The commission continued the case to October after learning that work central to the project was never disclosed.
Why it matters: Tree removal counts as major work in Albemarle Park, a neighborhood with an intentionally designed landscape and a tree inventory. Leaving it out of the application delayed a repair the owner needs now.
Where things stand: The home at Terrace and Cherokee roads is non-contributing to the historic district. The owner sought approval for an engineered wall faced in brick or stone. Mid-hearing, owner's representative Steve Berry disclosed the scope had grown: "The tree is going to have to come down." He added that Duke power poles must also move.
Cole said he had not reviewed the tree inventory "because I wasn't aware that there was a tree that needed to be removed for this work to take place." He said the item would need to be re-advertised. Cole also said that switching to regrading, an idea the owner recently raised, would be a new application. Contractor Julian Montoya of Monus Construction explained the owner's motive: "She's just trying to sell the property."
Material steer: Cole worried the submitted samples looked like stacked or manufactured stone. He noted that naturalized stone walls dominate the neighborhood. "The engineered wall isn't a problem if it's veneered correctly because it's never seen," said Commissioner Jane Matthews. She pointed to two city-built concrete walls with stone veneer as models. Commissioners generally favored option 3's natural fieldstone and a mortared look over tight-jointed modern patterns.
Commissioner Leslie Humphrey floated railroad ties to save the owner money. However, the standards prohibit them and the engineering rules them out. "As much as I love getting to a decision today, cost is always a factor," Berry said.
What's next: Commissioner Mays moved to continue the case to October, and another commissioner seconded. The voice vote was not clearly captured, but staff directed the applicant to return in October. By Sept. 23, the applicant must submit:
- The engineering report
- The tree's species, diameter and health
- A power-pole site plan
A commissioner asked the applicant to bring one ranked favorite: "If you come in with 3 options all weighted equally, we're gonna hem and haw for an hour about what we like."
Montford Outbuilding Gets Porch, Loses Metal Door
The commission approved enclosing the rear porch of a 2005 pebble-dash accessory structure at 40 Watauga Street in Montford.
Where things stand: The plan uses matching windows and painted German wood lap siding with a 6¾-inch reveal. It also adds a shingled gable-end overhang and removes an ADA ramp. A small bump-out will house a new gas water heater.
"I've not seen the commission approve metal doors on new structures in this district," Cole said. Owner and contractor Greg Borden agreed to switch to fiberglass or aluminum-clad. He said he avoided wood because the door will be more exposed to weather.
Conflict check: Commissioner Mays disclosed that he lives next door and asked about recusal. City legal staff said conflicts hinge on financial impacts. "My advice would be that it is very likely that you do not have a conflict of interest," legal staff said. No public commenters spoke.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Commissioner Mays moved findings that the non-historic structure's changes are compatible. The findings passed by voice vote, as did a CA conditioned on a revised door specification going to staff. For Montford owners, the ruling signals that mixed siding can work on non-historic outbuildings, but metal doors remain disfavored.
Fairview Victorian Heads Toward National Register
The commission voted by voice to recommend National Register of Historic Places listing for the S.J. and Rosetta Ashworth House at 1733 Charlotte Highway in Fairview.
The basics: The commission's jurisdiction covers Asheville and unincorporated Buncombe County. It has been a certified local government since about 1988, so it advises the state on nominations. Staff described the house as one of the best local examples of a picturesque late Victorian dwelling, a style staff called uncommon locally. The nomination falls under Criterion C.
Why it matters: "Effects of National Register listing, it's mostly honorific," Cole said. Listing carries no local zoning restrictions. It does make owners eligible for historic rehabilitation tax credits, and it triggers review of federal and DOT projects, such as a potential Charlotte Highway widening.
What's next: The nomination goes to the State Historic Preservation Office, then the statewide National Register Advisory Committee, and finally the Keeper of the National Register.
Minor Items
- Chair resigns: Staff announced Chair Celesta Gorman resigned the day before the meeting, and Vice Chair Amy Moxley presided. Cole said he couldn't recall a chair resigning just after taking the seat in his 12 years with the commission.
- Minutes: The commission adopted the Aug. 12 minutes and findings. It continued the April 28 work-session minutes, which the clerk's office found were never adopted.
Looking ahead: 7 Cherokee Road returns in October, with materials due Sept. 23. The April minutes return next meeting. Staff will update commissioners on the executive committee after the chair's resignation.