July 28, 2026Asheville City Council
From the minutes, not yet reviewedCouncil votes down a motion to reject the Asheville Mall rezoning at 3 South Tunnel Road.
The motion would have turned down a request to rezone part of the Asheville Mall from Urban Place to Regional Business. It said the change did not fit the City's comprehensive plan, or the goal of a walkable area near transit with homes and businesses. City staff and the Planning & Zoning Commission had urged denial. Council then passed the rezoning in a separate vote.
- Failed. Voted no: Esther Manheimer, S. Antanette Mosley, Bo Hess, Sheneika Smith.
- What the City says it's for: “The proposed rezoning would perpetuate suburban sprawl, large parking lots, and the urban heat island effect, as the requirements in the Urban Place Form District (UP) relating to the design of parking lots and the siting of buildings would be removed.”
More from the minutes
- “He showed the street view of the property and said the parcel size is 40.88 acres.”
- “Regarding the compatibility analysis, the purpose of the Urban Place Form District (UP) district is, “to implement transit-supportive land use recommendations as proposed in Living Asheville, the city's comprehensive plan.”.”
- “The proposed rezoning is incompatible with both the 2021 zoning map updates and the Comprehensive Plan’s vision for Town Centers.”
Official title: Motion to deny the rezoning request for the property located at 3 South Tunnel Road failed
Failed 2–4
From the minutes: This motion was seconded by Councilwoman Turner and failed on a 2-4 vote, with Mayor Manheimer, Vice-Mayor Mosley, Councilman Hess and Councilwoman Smith voting “no.”
Read the motion as recorded
“Councilwoman Roney moved to deny the rezoning request for the property located at 3 South Tunnel Road from Urban Place Form District (UP) to Regional Business (RB) and find that the request is unreasonable, is not in the public interest, is not consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan and does not meet the development needs of the community in that the request: 1) Proposes a zoning district that differs from the vision outlined in the City’s comprehensive plan, and 2) Does not fully reflect the community's goal of transitioning this key growth area into a more walkable, transit-friendly neighborhood with a mix of housing and businesses.”
Open the minutesMotion text in the minutes