Asheville City Council voted unanimously Nov. 14 to postpone a vote on a proposed 279-unit apartment complex in Arden over concerns around a shortage of family-sized units and a lack of renewable energy. The project was unable to get a formal recommendation to Council from the Planning and Zoning Commission at its Oct. 4 meeting; however, the developer asked to continue with the zoning approval process.

Georgia-based Flournoy Development Group, lead developer for the project, is requesting to have nearly 9 acres that front Long Shoals Road and Plott Place rezoned from Community Business II to Residential Expansion — Conditional Zone. The developer also is seeking a modification to allow 32 units per acre where 20 units per acre is the maximum, as well as permission to reduce the width of internal sidewalks from 10 feet to 5 feet.

The parcel is between Bojangles and the State Employees’ Credit Union near Lake Julian. The new apartment complex would be where several vacant single-family homes and a small mobile home park stand now.

At its meeting in October, the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission did not recommend approval of the project after a 3-3 vote over concerns regarding housing affordability, a lack of tree preservation and an increased potential for traffic crashes. The developer didn’t agree to the commission’s requests to preserve more trees and accept housing choice vouchers for all affordable units.

Several City Council members expressed more concerns, voicing a desire for more family-sized units and a commitment to some form of renewable energy, especially since the parcel qualifies for an energy community tax credit bonus because of its proximity to the retired Duke Energy coal plant on Lake Julian, which shut down in 2020.

“If the applicant, or anyone in this area, was going to install a renewable energy system that qualified, they could get a 50% tax credit,” said City Urban Planner Clay Mitchell. “That’s a dollar for dollar…