The first three weeks of 2020 have already brought a host of proposed housing developments in Henderson County.

Four developments were either proposed or cleared major hurdles in January. Several other announcements related to growth were made, from new restaurants to plans for a five-story parking garage in downtown Hendersonville.

It’s been a busy year, not even a month in. From resorts to apartments, here is a quick recap:

Ivy Crossing, Hendersonville

Developer Windsor Built Homes is requesting to rezone 15.88 acres off Westbrook Road between Hendersonville and Laurel Park to build 74 single-family homes.

Homes would range from 1,500 to 2,200 square feet with the average lot size 50 feet wide and 110 feet deep, according to Will Buie of WGLA Engineering, a density of 4.75 homes per acre. Pricing on the homes would start around $300,000.

The developer is requesting the rezoning through Hendersonville and will likely be annexed into the city if approved.

Next step: The project will be presented to the Hendersonville Planning Board on Feb. 10 for its recommendation and potentially voted on by the City Council on March 5.

North Rugby Road resort, Henderson County

The Henderson County Planning Board unanimously approved its recommendation of a high-end resort with a hotel, spa, restaurant and tap room at 2075 N. Rugby Road.

Developer Kevin High is requesting to rezone 50.19 acres of land from residential to mixed-use commercial zoning. The subject area was most recently used as a boarding school for girls, but the existing structure remains, along with several on-site amenities.

The site plan includes a hotel with 12 rooms, 25 yurts and four bathhouses, a pool, bakery and 25-person capacity restaurant open to the public, day spa and a barn with a tap room and residence for the owner.

Next step: The project will be voted on by the county Board of Commissioners at a future meeting.

Senior living apartments, Laurel Park

The Laurel Park Town Council agreed last week to annex and rezone an eight-acre piece of land at 1515 Brevard Road for Oregon-based developer Little Fish Investments to build an approximately 130-unit senior living facility.

Site plans have not been submitted, but the plan is to provide independent senior living without on-site medical services. The development would be part of Sunshine Retirement Living, which manages 32 retirement communities across the U.S., according to its website.

Next step: Town Manager Christopher Todd said he expects a site plan to be submitted by the developer within the next couple of months. The plan will presented to the planning board for its recommendation before it’s approved by the council.

West Avenue Villas, Hendersonville

A 12-unit apartment building has been proposed for a .57-acre plot of land on First Avenue West near Washington Street.

Developer Stephen Drake has requested a conditional zoning application to develop a 12-unit apartment building. Site plans show a square-shaped building that will house all 12 units with on-site parking and common area open space.

Next step: A neighborhood compatibility meeting will be held at 2 p.m. Jan. 30 inside the City Operations Center at 305 Williams St.

But wait, there’s more

Many other announcements related to growth in the county have been made in just the last three weeks alone. Here’s a recap of what’s happened this month:

The city of Hendersonville unveiled details and renderings for a five-story parking garage downtown. To help play for the $8.2-million project, all on-street parking between Church and King streets throughout the downtown district will be switched to metered parking.

In order to accommodate a growing fire department, city officials decided to relocate the Boyd Park mini golf course and tennis courts next door to Fire Station 1. A new home for the facilities has not yet been determined.

Six new routes were unveiled in two announcements this month at Asheville Regional Airport, which grew to serve 1.6 million passengers in 2019 and now plans to build a larger terminal. Flights to Boston, Chicago, Houston and Austin, Texas were announced on Allegiant, and seasonal Chicago and Washington, D.C. routes are being added by American Airlines.

Blue Ridge Community College announced plans to purchase land for a future expansion; while there are no definite plans for the property, located between the campus and South Allen Road and bordering Interstate 26, the college wanted to take advantage of the opportunity while it was available. The college has signed a contract for the purchase and could close within six months.

Henderson County commissioners discussed a need for more space at the county jail and courthouse, which are at capacity.

The Riveter announced a grand opening date of Feb. 8 for its 40,000-square-foot training facility, sited on a 10-acre working farm in Mills River.

North Highland Lake Road widening and other hotly contested improvements will move forward in Flat Rock and Hendersonville after a 15-1 vote by the French Broad Metropolitan Planning Organization Board.

Mills River Brewing opened a new, larger brewery in its namesake town, moving from a smaller storefront location in Arden to 336 Banner Farm Road.

Plans were announced for a new Chik-fil-A restaurant in Hendersonville at the site of the former Rite Aid on Spartanburg Highway. The building will be torn down to make space for the new restaurant. City Council approved a conditional rezoning earlier this month for the 4,990-square-foot restaurant with 110 seats inside, 16 outside and a playground area.

LongHorn Steakhouse announced that a restaurant will open in Fletcher this Tuesday. The 5,660-square-foot restaurant will seat more than 180 diners and employ about 60 people.

Amazing Pizza Co. announced a new location on Highway 191 in Mills River across from Mills River Barber Shop and Mills River Wash & Fold laundromat.

Papa John’s said it was opening a pizza place in the Ingles shopping center in Mills River.

Saluda officials announced plans to open a Visitor Center in May in a renovated downtown building at 20 W. Main St.

When it comes to roads, work continues on the widening of I-26, and the NCDOT announced public forums and comment periods for its next 10-year transportation plan, for 2023-32.

Growth is being felt across the state, and North Carolina will likely pick up at least one more seat in Congress. U.S. Census Bureau estimates show that North Carolina’s population has grown to 10.5 million, an increase of 10% since 2010.

Another seat would give the state 14 House members as well as 16 electoral votes, The Charlotte Observer reported earlier this month. Only six other states would have more.

All of this in just three weeks. It begs the question, what will the next 11 months of 2020 bring for Henderson County? One sure answer is change.