Meeting Notes
6-22-11 West Asheville Library, 6:00 PM
Agenda for the Meeting:
- Mobile Food Vending
- Land Uses and review of the Table of Uses from the UDO
1. Mobile Food Vending:
There is an effort by the City to provide a clearer City-wide policy for mobile food vending (food trucks). The material was briefly discussed at the prior meeting of the group and was reviewed again. In summary there are generally two methods for permitting mobile food vending in most areas of the City:
Temporary Mobile Food Vending: Allowed in all commercial areas of the City and which puts a limit of a single temporary use on a single site at one time and with limited hours of operation. Mobile vending is not allowed as a temporary use in the Central Business District zoned properties and a part of the proposal is to allow them in the non-downtown CBD areas such as west Asheville.
Permanent Mobile Food Vending: The main body of the proposal is to allow mobile food vending on private parcels (not the street or on-street parking spaces) on a permanent basis for the trucks which come and go each day. There are specific rules proposed for the each parcel permitted for this use and also for the trucks themselves to address placement, setbacks, noise and hours of operation. Under the proposal mobile food vending on a permanent basis could occur in the downtown CBD areas and most commercial districts in the City. Currently it is being considered by the Downtown Commission because it is an area not available for Mobile Food Vending because of limitations in the Central Business District (CBD) zoned areas.
There were comments that mobile food vending may help the vitality for sections of Haywood Road by bringing positive traffic. It was also thought that the mobile food vendor use can be a incubator for restaurant businesses. It was also noted that churches may be able to fill a niche by sharing their kitchens as a requirement for mobile food vendors to be tied to an approved restaurant or commissary. It was also noted that church parking lots may also be useful for this purpose. Over-parking on a parcel that does not have sufficient parking for its primary use was noted as a concern.
2. Land Uses
The group also reviewed the Table of Uses in the UDO which defines a wide range of uses and what is generally allowed in different zoning districts. Many people have commented that the diversity of business activity is something to maintain to keep the West Asheville neighborhood vital. It was also noted that barriers to doing business in West Asheville should be identified and removed.
There are several zoning types located along the Haywood Road corridor at this time: the majority is Community Business II (CB II), Central Business District (CBD), Institutional, and Highway Business (HB located near Patton Avenue)
Table of Uses Listing of Uses and USSR standards Comments and Questions
| Use | Zoning District | Comment |
| Industrial uses, light | CB I, CB II | No standards noted in USSR |
| Industrial uses, light | HB, CBD | Not permitted |
| Business incubator | CB I, CB II, NCD, RB, CBD, INST | Not permitted |
| Call center | Most districts | Not allowed and can’t remember why |
| Recreational vehicle sales, service & repair | CB II, CB I, NCD, | Not allowed and where would scooter sales be categorized |
| Small engine service and repair | CB I, CB II | Repairs are limited to items that are allowed to be sold- so some questions |
| Studios, galleries and workshops for artists, artisans, and craftspeople- high impact | CB II, NCD | Not permitted; could have similar rules as described for CBD |
| Drive-through facilities | OFF I, OFF II, OB, CB II, CBD, RIVER, INST | No standards noted in USSR |
| Outdoor storage | Need clarification about the requirements | |
| Parking Decks, Garages, Structures | CB I, CB II, NCD | Could be made to comply with special standards if allowed as a USSR |
| Parking Lots | NCD | Not allowed? Need to review? |
| Live work unit | CBD | Clarify for CBD |
Question remain about the following items:
Business Incubator: definition because it seems like a use to encourage
Call Center: unique characteristics of that (not allowed on corridor based on zoning)
Home Occupation: have received a comment at an earlier meeting that the special rules for home occupations limit the area of the home used to 25% and with smaller homes in the west Asheville may put additional burden on the use
Flea Market: Agreed to maintain the status quo with the use as unavailable along the corridor (by district)
Where do scooter sales fall within the range of uses?
Motor vehicle repair: want to discuss further the requirement to operate within an enclosed building
Industrial uses light: what are the special requirements for it? May want to encourage more of this
Live work unit not allowed in the CBD? Why not?
Outdoor storage: What does the special requirement mean that outdoor storage is “only allowed as accessory to other uses in these districts”
Small engine service and repair: want to review the special requirement that ‘only items allowed to be sold as a permitted use within the district shall be repaired or serviced’ also wonder about storage in an enclosed building
Studios, galleries & workshops for artists, artisans and craftspeople- high impact: Could be an allowable use with special requirements in the CB II district
Billboard Ordinance: interest in understanding the ordinance
Drive-through facilities: need additional information about special use standards
There are a few businesses that are grandfathered in and would not be allowed under the current uses guidelines. Might want to look at those restrictions again.