20191577 Ver 1_Urge you to improve protections_20200407

Strickland, Bev
From: [e-mail] on behalf of Jack Henderson <hendersonjc3
@eve ryactio ncustom.com >
Sent: Tuesday, April 7, 2020 1:47 PM
To: SVC_DENR.publiccomments
Subject: [External] Biltmore Farms: I urge you to improve protections for the French Broad
River in permits for this development
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Dear Public Comments,
It has come to my attention that Biltmore Farms, a regional real estate developer, is proposing to build a five -lane bridge
across the French Broad River to serve a new 80+ acre economic development. The proposed bridge is 1,000 feet
downstream of the Blue Ridge Parkway bridge, and just downstream of Bent Creek Park outside of Asheville. More
information is detailed in this article:
https://urldefense.com/v3/_https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/locaI/2020/02/19/major-manufacturing-
project-could-bri ng-1-200-jobs-buncombe-
cou nty/4806498002/_;! ! HYmSToo! PVxh3Dep4pY2dhsGSxGjb6Y3ktdvdLAW EZAra4zRYJ ps7MtzisxDGt6ZRTN74haboo08
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As you review the proposal for the five -lane bridge across the French Broad River that will serve a new Biltmore Farms
development, I urge you to ensure additional protections for the local environment and recreation opportunities that
would be impacted. The project is proposing to clear and grade over 80 acres of forested land, add over 41 acres of
impervious surface, put two permanent bridge supports in the river, block over 150 feet of the river for up to 12 months
during construction, and close a popular section of the river at certain points during bridge construction. The new bridge
will also permanently impact over 230 feet of the French Broad River banks as well as .067 acres of wetlands.
This section of the French Broad is home to the federally endangered Appalachian Elktoe mussel, and land adjacent to
the project site is prime habitat for several listed and sensitive species.
In order to minimize the impacts of this project, the stormwater measures should be significantly enhanced. The project
currently only calls for basic measures, such as wet ponds, to control and treat a significant amount of stormwater
runoff. This is not sufficient. The extensive wetlands on the larger property and riparian areas should be permanently
protected. The river should be monitored downstream for sediment and stormwater impacts, blockage of the river
should be minimized and there should be no closures of the river during the height of the recreation season. Public
transportation should be extended to the site to reduce the amount of parking and impervious surface.
Western NC is cherished, locally and nationally, for its unique and scenic outdoor recreation opportunities and ecological
diversity. This development would be a travesty to both. I urge the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources, US
Fish & Wildlife Service and Army Corps of Engineers to protect the French Broad River and prioritize its health over
short-term greed for wealth.
Creating jobs is important, but not at the expense and consumption of our natural resources. Short-sighted economic
development will not sustain this region; but rather an investment in the reason many people come here in the first

place - our mountains, rivers, forests, wetlands and meadows, - not endless expanses of pavement and asphalt which
this proposed development would excessively add to.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Jack Henderson
PO Box 1242 Pisgah Forest, NC 28768-1242 [e-mail]