News

Horse Shoe Farm owner again seeks OK for vacation cottages

Owner John Turchin is seeking the county's OK vacation cottages and numerous amenities at Horse Shoe Farm..

By Lightning Reports, Published: May 22, 2020

HORSE SHOE — The owner of Horse Shoe Farm has dusted off a development proposal two years ago, seeking county approval for short-term rental cottages, a dining facility, clubhouse, spa and yoga studio, equestrian center and riding ring, an event space, horse trailer parking and arts and crafts space on the picturesque property on South Rugby Road.

John Turchin, a Miami developer who has proposed several housing and vacation rental plans in Horse Shoe and Etowah, is seeking to rezone 80 acres from R-2 residential to a conditional zoning district that would allow the cottages and vacation amenities.

Over the past three years Turchin has sought zoning approval for a 299 homes on a cow pasture on McKinney Road in Etowah, 220 homes at the Horse Shoe Farm property and then later a scaled back plan for 132 homes on the farm on South Rugby Road. The Planning Board approved the request for 132 units but then Turchin and his son began operating the farm and a large barn as an event venue.

The latest plan scales back the number of dwellings even more. A site plan engineers submitted shows 36 residential lots, a 3,000-square-foot dining facility, 2,720-square-foot clubouse, 6,000-square-foot event center, 8,670-square-foot horse barn with five guest rooms, a 2,580-square-foot arts and crafts building and a pool. Turchin plans to connect to city of Hendersonville water, which serves the South Rugby area, and individual septic tanks for the homes and other facilities.

A neighborhood compatibility meeting will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 27, via Zoom.

A working cattle farm when it was founded in the 1950s, the property became home to a herd of Belted Galloway cattle and a later owner’s collection of vintage Corvettes and motorcycles. Turchin bought the 84-acre property and six dwellings for $2.2 million in December 2017, land records show.