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ARDEN, N.C. (WLOS) — North Carolina Administrative Law Judge David Sutton in an 88-page decision ruled Mission Hospital should not be able to build an ER in Arden because a state-required public hearing to gauge interest wasn't held.

Judge puts brakes on Mission Hospital's plans for free-standing ER in Arden

In an earlier decision, Sutton also ruled Mission shouldn’t be allowed to open a similar facility in Candler for the same reason.

“AdventHealth is very pleased with the administrative judge’s decision regarding this case,” AdventHealth spokesperson Victoria Dunkle said.

MISSION HOSPITAL WANTS TO BUILD $29 MILLION EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY

AdventHealth and Pardee Hospital had filed an appeal of North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' decision to grant Mission Hospital's Certificate of Need application for a freestanding emergency department in Arden. Sutton stated, “Mission’s application is reversed" because Mission “failed to use proper procedure.” He wrote NCDHHS officials “acted erroneously” by approving Mission’s application for Arden.

“While we were disappointed by the setback of these rulings, we know that more access to emergency care is important for our region, and we will continue to seek opportunities to provide it,” HCA Healthcare spokesperson Nancy Lindell said.

But AdventHealth officials believe Mission's desire for an ER in the area is about more than that.

“This application for a free-standing ER isn’t really about access or choice, it really was about maintaining market share,” Dunkle said. “It would be a landing point to start the care with the existing health system in place in Buncombe County. If it’s something more serious, it’s going to be transferred to the main hospital ER they have.”

MISSION HEALTH AND ADVENTHEALTH CLASH OVER EMERGENCY CARE FACILITY LOCATION

But Lindell argued there’s demand in area communities for these types of emergency rooms.

“By taking a patient to a closer, less busy ER, EMS teams are able to get back out on the road faster and serve more patients,” Lindell said.

Health Equity Coalition of Western North Carolina spokesperson Victoria Hicks said she wondered how much of the situation was of Mission’s own making.

“As someone who just spent 36 hours in the Mission, basically just waiting for a room, I can see that there’s a problem. They had patients stacked up around the nurses' station, they had patients in the corridors," Hicks said.

MISSION HOSPITAL LOOKS FOR COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR FREESTANDING ER IN CANDLER

Hicks said NCDHHS officials should be focused on investigating those problems before green-lighting any new brick-and-mortar urgent care or ER-type sites for Mission/HCA.

“For anyone who lives in a rural area like Mitchell County, what we’ve seen is the hollowing out of our hospital. People would come to the ER at Blue Ridge, be admitted and Blue Ridge would have the services they needed. What’s now happening is you come into a rural hospital and you’re shipped to Mission’s ER. For HCA to say that what they’re trying to do is distribute the care more equitably in their service area rings hollow,” Hicks said.

ADVENTHEALTH, MISSION HEALTH JOCKEY OVER EMERGENCY CARE IN WESTERN BUNCOMBE COUNTY

Lindell said the state was responsible for holding the public hearing and chose not to due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lindell said Mission is exploring its options after the judge’s latest ruling about a lack of public hearings.

Arden (N.C.) Christ School senior athlete Zack Myers proved to be a big play waiting to happen.

Myers had nine touchdowns in eight games played, before having his season cut short with a knee injury against Charlotte (N.C.) Country Day on Oct. 14. He missed the last four games and the Greenies finished 6-6.

“Zack leading up to his injury, he played extremely well,” Christ School coach Chad Walker said. “He is a dynamic player offensively and really helped us out.”

Myers and junior wide receiver Khalil Conley formed an impressive 1-2 punch.

“He created opportunity for other guys as well,” Walker said. “Zack really played into his role offensively and made a lot of big plays at that position.”

Myers was recruited to play free safety for the Wolfpack, but maybe could get the ball in his hands in the return game. He’ll be enrolling early this month.

“Defensively, he just added so much depth to a secondary we had with a lot of young guys,” Walker said. “He was able to play safety and we could put him in the nickel position and at corner. We moved him around. We would put him on the best offensive player, skill guy from the other team. We did that with a lot with Zack before his injury.”

Myers would use double moves and Christ School used play-action passes to get him open in space.

“We moved him around from the slot to the outside receiver,” Walker said. “We found different ways of getting him the ball, like putting him in motion or handing him the ball.”

Walker was particularly proud of his performance against Rabun Gap (Ga.) Rabun Gap-Nacoochee, due in part to his competitive fire. That determination led him to start at point guard in basketball and win the NCISAA Division I state title in the high jump his junior year. He made sure to help his teammates after the knee injury, but the team clearly missed his vibe.

“He was around at all the practices,” Walker said. “He was there for his teammates on the sideline. He’s an ultra competitor and he’s still learning how to lead. He was more lead by example guy.”

Walker is proud of how former Christ School cornerback Aydan White has turned into an All-ACC player at NC State. He expects Myers to develop nicely under safeties coach Joe DeForest.

“Joe came to some of our games and he talked to Zack throughout the process,” Walker said. “I think he was the most consistent of the schools recruiting Zack. He always told Zack the truth.

“The guys at NC State do a phenomenal job. I'm excited to see what they have in store for him."

— Jacey Zembal

3

ARDEN, N.C. (WLOS) — A new brewpub is coming to “Beer City,” and it's making its home in south Asheville.

Voodoo Brewing Company is opening up a brewpub in the old 12 Bones location on Sweeten Creek Road.

The company is based out of Pennsylvania, which is where Ohio native Bill Osborne first drank Voodoo beers.

South Asheville’s newest brewpub, Voodoo Brewing Company, aims for mid-October opening

Osborne has lived in Asheville since 2004 and said he knew the south part of town would be a great location.

SC RESTAURANT TO OPEN 2 NEW LOCATIONS IN BILTMORE PARK, FORMER ZIA TAQUERIA LOCATION

“That’s why we settled on this location in south Asheville," Osborne told News 13 on Thursday, Sept. 14. "While we have some good breweries in the area, it’s not as saturated as it is in South Slope, downtown Asheville. So, bringing a little bit more to the south and thinking with the style of beer and type of beer and the quality that it’s going to work."

The south Asheville location is a tap room, meaning they wont be brewing beer on site.

The beer will be shipped in from their main brewery in Pennsylvania.

They will have a kitchen on site, which Osborne said will be one of their advantages in Asheville’s competitive beer scene.

Another advantage, he said, is the type of beer -- "the whole gamut" -- they’ll be pouring.

“A lot of heavier beers, like the stouts, the porters, some Belgians and IPAs. And the lighter style as well, so the whole gamut of all the different beers,” Osborne said.

The new bar just recently built will be a staple of the brewpub's layout.

They will be modeling their brewpub after European beer halls, marked by large community tables made from wooden pallets.

“It’s not a sports bar," Osborne said. "We’re going to be looking for interaction. We’re going to have games, we’re going to have the tables. We’re not going to have a bunch of TVs."

Barringer construction is working on the location.

Osborne said they're aiming for an opening date in mid-October.

ASHEVILLE - An 84-townhouse development from Georgia-based Trilogy Investment Co. could be coming to Arden, if approved at the Nov. 9 Buncombe County Board of Adjustment meeting.

Site plans show 84 townhouses in 16 structures over 8 acres of land off Christ School Road, from which the project takes its name. Christ School Townhomes will also have a community clubhouse, swimming pool, playground, dog park and walking trails, and each townhouse will have its own one-car garage and driveway. Thirteen extra parking spaces will be scattered throughout the development, plans show.

"Our mission is to address the critical undersupply of safe, quality and attainable housing that millions of Americans are faced with today," said John Boniface, Senior Vice President of Development and Construction at Trilogy. "This crisis is magnified in Asheville/Buncombe County, and we have a focused team identifying appropriate properties to develop our communities."

Boniface expects the application to pass the Board of Adjustments, he said, because the project fits both the technical requirements and the general vision of Buncombe County. If the project passes the board, construction will likely begin within twelve months, Boniface said.

Trilogy recently got the go-ahead on four other projects in Buncombe, including a 120-townhouse project approved by Board of Adjustments on Oct. 12 and a 72-townhouse development approved by Asheville City Council on Oct. 11. According to its website, Trilogy has 358 lots under development in North Carolina.

"We know that this is only the beginning of the solution to Asheville’s housing shortage, and we will continue to pursue appropriate opportunities to further meet the need," Boniface said.

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The parcels that make up what may become Christ School Townhomes, 33 Christ School Road, 31 Christ School Road, 99999 Sumter St. and 26 Pinner Ranch Drive, are zoned R-3 residential, according to the project's application. In this zone, the development is allowed up to 96 units, but only 84 are slated. The project's traffic impact, which is a sticking point for many developments, was found as not substantial enough to warrant any road changes, according to a traffic impact study.

Other changes to the zoning ordinance were requested by the developer, however. The application requests interior setbacks reduced from 7 feet to 0 feet to allow the townhouses to attach, minimum lot sizes reduced from 6,000 square feet to 794 to subdivide lots, distances between buildings reduced from 20 feet to 15 feet and parking spaces reduced from 168 off-street spaces to 84.

Townhouses are a good median between home ownership and apartments, which makes it ideal for Asheville's expensive housing market, Boniface said.

"Our communities offer an equivalent home ownership lifestyle without the inherent burdens that come with traditional home ownership. The flexibility and freedom of lifestyle that our communities provide coupled with our intentional design facilitating experiences and relationship builds true community that our residents prioritize. This differentiates our product from every other traditional offering in the housing market," he said.

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Another townhouse development, a 40-unit project near Weaverville, also goes to the Board of Adjustments on Nov. 9 after being pushed back from October's meeting.

Board of Adjustment meetings are quasi-judicial, and board members decide how laws apply to an application, obtain evidence and review ordinance standards. Board members may not take subjective observations or personal preferences into account when making a decision about project applications, they should only look at facts, sworn testimony and laws.

The Board of Adjustment meets at noon at 200 College St. in the Board of Commissioners Chambers.

Christian Smith is the general assignment reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Questions or comments? Contact him at [email protected] or 828-274-2222.

ASHEVILLE - Three developers have requested to build separate projects in the Arden area comprising more than 800 housing units, including apartments and townhomes.

Florida-based Ambach Communities LLC wants to build 497 units at 2177 Brevard Road in Arden, according to application documents. Of these, 256 would be apartments, 179 would be townhomes, 60 would be multi-family housing and two would be single-family homes. There would be about 35 structures on more than 42 acres.

The development, called "Creekside Community," would also include a clubhouse and pool.

More development projects on the horizon in Asheville, Buncombe:

Roughly three miles south at 1754 Brevard Road developer Indiana-based Oscar Land Acquisitions LLC wants to build 244 apartments comprising 10 different buildings on roughly 22 acres. That project is called "Brevard Road Apartments," according to application documents.

Another 70 townhomes are planned for 642 Long Shoals Road, where South Carolina-based Deep River South Development plans to build 70 townhomes on about 7 acres. Application documents call this project "Clayton Crossing."

"Buncombe's got a great rental market and housing market in general," said Scott Gillespie, principal and founder of Deep River. "I live in Greeneville and do a lot of work down here, but Asheville has always been in my eye as a great market to try to do this stuff in."

He noted Asheville has "a limited supply of buildable sites."

Applicants for the other projects did not immediately return phone calls, text messages and an email.

The projects will go to the Buncombe County Board of Adjustments July 13 and, if they are approved, head to Buncombe County Planning staff for further review. Each project is seeking a special use permit for a planned unit development.

County staff recommends approval of each project with several standard conditions, according to the applications.

Each project plans to have a dog park and internal sidewalk system. None of them show requirements for affordability. That means they likely will not go toward Buncombe County Board of Commissioners goal to help create about 3,000 units of affordable housing in the county by 2030.

County planning and leadership already are working with developers and landowners on several projects to make this a reality, but they don't really have a way to push developers toward building affordable units.

"I don't have a mechanism to require them to have affordable units," Buncombe County Planning Director Nathan Pennington said. "We do have the community-oriented development program which awards extra density if affordable units are supplied, but (the three developers) did not elect to utilize that provision of the zoning ordinance."

According to the Bowen National Research report, the gap in Buncombe's rental housing based on the number of units needed is one of the worst in the state. Though the county has just more than 15,000 multifamily rental units, it needs more than 4,800 for families below 80% AMI alone, according to one model.

According to a Department of Housing and Urban Development scale for the Asheville Metro area, which encompasses Buncombe, Henderson and Madison counties, the 2021 fiscal year 80% AMI for a family of four is about $60,100 and the 60% AMI for a family of four is about $45,300.

Though the 800 new units developers want to bring to Arden may not be affordable, Pennington said more units in Buncombe has the potential to bring down prices. .

"I will say that more supply eventually helps with overall costs," he said.

Buncombe also is in the middle of its 2043 Comprehensive Plan, an initiative designed to assess the county's growth trajectories and needs and make changes where necessary.

That process has the ability to change local ordinances, Pennington said.

"There will be goals objectives and policies that will further decide what are called 'exactions': what we want to see in projects. And once those are defined... I predict that a lot of our development ordinances will change and will probably speak to some affordable housing requirements in the future. We just don't have those defined at this time."

All of the units planned for Board of Adjustment review July 13 are listed as "units for rent" and none of them for sale.

Documents note management of the properties may be contracted out to another company.

Andrew Jones is Buncombe County government and health care reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at @arjonesreports on Facebook and Twitter, 828-226-6203 or [email protected]. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.