Buncombe approves affordable apartments, delays project near Blue Ridge Parkway

Buncombe County sent two very different housing signals in the same meeting cycle: one affordable apartment project cleared approval, while a separate proposal for apartments near the Blue Ridge Parkway was delayed.

The Board of Adjustments made the split decision during its May 13 meeting, leaving Asheville’s housing pipeline moving forward in one place and slowing down in another. For renters looking for lower-cost options, the approved affordable project is the more immediate win. For a separate neighborhood adjacent to one of the region’s most sensitive landscapes, the delay means the wait continues.

The approved project adds housing at a time when affordability remains one of the most urgent issues in Buncombe County. Even without the detailed unit counts from the meeting, the direction was clear: more affordable apartments are moving ahead, and that matters in a market where many households still struggle with rent and home prices. The approval gives that project a clearer path toward becoming actual housing rather than another proposal stuck in the pipeline.

The delayed project tells a different story. Because it sits near the Blue Ridge Parkway, it drew the kind of extra scrutiny that often comes when density, neighborhood impact and location near protected scenery are in play. That delay does not just affect a developer’s timeline. It also means a neighborhood near the Parkway will wait longer for any new apartments that might have added supply in an already tight market.

Taken together, the two decisions show how uneven Asheville’s housing response remains. Buncombe and Asheville have spent years trying to balance preservation, neighborhood character, infrastructure limits and housing demand, and the May 13 outcome showed how those tensions still shape what gets built and when. One project is advancing, and one is stalled. For households searching for a place to live, that difference can determine whether relief comes sooner or stays out of reach.