A tipping point for the Emma community? New 107-unit townhouse development could push housing affordability out of reach, residents say
The Emma Road project was approved after a day-long meeting last month
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The Emma community, a tiny crossroads just outside Asheville city limits, is about to change.
The immediate transformation will come in the form of a new 107-unit townhouse development, complete with dog park and pickleball courts. The development, approved by the Buncombe County Board of Adjustment last month, is the first of its kind in the community, where mobile homes dominate the residential housing stock.
But the project could pave the way for even more large-scale residential development, according to some residents, who said they fear that if that happens, housing costs will increase and residents will be forced out. Those concerns about the development’s impact on housing affordability and the displacement of residents in Emma formed the core of the argument against the project.
Here’s a closer look: