Some people call the Brevard entrance to the Pisgah National Forest a “sea of asphalt.”
City council members are hoping to change that as they move forward on a rezoning project for the area around the entrance, which runs along Asheville and Hendersonville Highways.
“This is one of the most important areas in our town in terms of character,” Aaron Baker, a Brevard council member said. “It is not only the gateway into the forest, it's the gateway into the city of Brevard as well.”
The corridor is now zoned for many uses and mostly lined with gas stations and big box stores like Walmart and Lowes. The city hopes the rezoning will attract other businesses related to outdoor recreation as well as more lodging.
The project has been in the works for years and the city originally approved a rezoning of the area to a mixed use district in 2024. The new zoning designation was dubbed the Pisgah Gateway Mixed Use District, or PGX.
The rezoning was invalidated because of a North Carolina law related to Hurricane Helene relief that banned certain types of down-zoning, or zoning areas to a lower housing density.
However, the law left out a definition for “residential district” which gave the city council members a loophole to define it themselves. Earlier this year, the city council re-adopted their zoning regulations but did not reapply the PGX district to any plots of land.
Last month the council signalled support to zone the area outside of the forest entrance as PGX during a public hearing session The council is expected to vote on it in early August.
The plot of land sits at the intersection of two major thoroughfares and marks the entrance to the national forest and the northernmost boundary of the city. Millions of residents and tourists visit the forest each year. Baker noted that visitors often pass through Brevard on their way in or out of the forest.
“I think the sea of asphalt and parking that we have over there is not the greatest impression to leave on people as they're entering our city,” Baker said.
