A Very Smart Land Buyer asked me to look into a building site and let her know what I “unearthed”. I do believe that, even in the most beautiful mountainscape Asheville offers, one must be careful when it comes to steep grade property. It may call you to think of having your home at the top, but most steep slopes cannot be built on without extensive and expensive roads, site work, and extra building costs. In fact, here in Buncombe County- steep slope sites are subject to Hillside Development Ordinances.
Building sites can be breathtakingly beautiful..
But there are caveats. That is what prompts me to advise sitting down with our informed team of experts.
Take, for example, the case of the Florida land buyer. Ten years ago she invested in a 2 AC parcel in North Asheville thinking this is where she would build her At Last Home. It simply grabbed her heart- a south-facing building site with incredible views of the valley below is within 7 minutes of downtown Asheville and all of Asheville’s notable amenities. Little did she know the challenges she would face.
However…. In order to purchase this amazing 2 AC parcel, there was the challenge of curing a cloud on the title, new zoning rules for areas above 2,500 feet elevation with an average slope greater than 35 percent. Prior to making the investment of approximately $200,000 per acre, she could have discovered that- approximately half of the property is in the “Debris Flow Pathway” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debris_flow , all the property except for a small potion directly on the road is above 2500 feet and subject to Steep Slope Ordinances that put restrictions on building, particularly on ridge-tops.
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