Board of Adjustment | October 14, 2026

Meeting Overview The Buncombe County Board of Adjustment held its regular monthly meeting on October 14, 2026. The session focused on administrative housekeeping and the adjudication of two Special Use Permit (SUP) applications: one for a recreational facility in Cane Creek and another for a private aviation landing strip. The Board also welcomed new members and reviewed previous records before moving to substantive hearings.

Key Decisions and Votes The Board unanimously approved the minutes from the September regular meeting, correcting a minor error regarding the identity of the Chair for the Sikorsky case. Following this, the Board voted unanimously to approve findings of fact and grant Special Use Permits for two distinct projects. The first approval covered a disc golf course, volleyball courts, and soccer field on 28.6 acres in the Residential Low Density (RLD) zone. The second approval granted a permit for a personal landing strip for a single-engine Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) aircraft. Both approvals were granted with specific, binding conditions attached to ensure compliance with zoning and safety standards.

Discussion Highlights and Conditions For the Cane Creek Disc Golf project, the Board discussed the integration of incidental commercial uses within a residential zone. Staff clarified that the allowance of one food truck was a compromise between the county and the applicant, permitted only during facility business hours and without outdoor storage or commercial kitchens. Board Member Carol McCrory raised concerns about the lack of physical barriers between the facility and nearby homes, while Board Member Paul Wolsinski inquired about potential future expansions into nighttime entertainment, which staff assured was prohibited in the RLD zone. The Board mandated that a floodplain development permit and an NCDOT permit be secured before any land disturbance.

Regarding the Barker STOL Landing Strip, the Board focused heavily on mitigating impacts on neighboring properties, particularly regarding noise and flight patterns. The applicant, Kevin Barker, agreed to strict operational limits as conditions of approval: the strip is restricted to private use, limited to a single-engine STOL aircraft, and capped at three flights per week. Furthermore, pilots are required to take off to the north and land from the north to keep operations away from neighboring properties. Board Member Andy Ball suggested limiting the frequency of flights rather than restricting specific pilots, a distinction the Board accepted to ensure the conditions were practical and enforceable.

Community Input and Stakeholder Engagement While no general public testimony was recorded, key stakeholders participated directly in the hearings. For the disc golf project, applicant representative Derek Allen described the course as a "passive use" aimed at providing community recreational space. For the landing strip, neighbor Bruce Snelson asserted standing based on his proximity to the property and concerns about noise affecting his farming operation. Although Snelson stated he was not opposing the project, he sought to ensure specific conditions, such as flight direction and permit transferability, were legally documented. Board Member Paul Wolsinski questioned Snelson’s standing given his non-oppositional stance, but Board Member Carol McCrory argued that without these documented conditions, Snelson would be harmed, leading the Board to grant him standing.

Follow-ups and Next Steps The Board announced that the next regular meeting will be held on November 18. Staff confirmed the addition of two new board members, James Diaz and Scott (last name pending), though they were not present at this session. Regarding the Cane Creek project, the applicant and staff agreed that any future development of land across Mills Gap Road involving new structures would require a modification to the special use permit, though informal recreational use might remain covered by the current site plan flexibility. The applicant for the landing strip explicitly agreed to the negotiated conditions regarding aircraft type, frequency, and direction as part of the approval.