ASHEVILLE — The driveway that leads to Mark McClure's house above Beaverdam Valley is the "steepest piece of paved road" he has ever seen.

The UNC Asheville math professor bought the house overlooking one of the city's most bucolic areas in 2001 and quickly settled in. But McClure, 42, soon began to notice something strange about the structure perched at more than 2,500 feet above sea level.

"My deck started moving, and then my utility lines broke," he said. "I woke up one morning, and there was water just pouring out of the top of my driveway from a broken line."

The experience gave McClure second thoughts about homes on steep mountain slopes — an issue the Asheville City Council takes up tonight.

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Original article in the Asheville Citizen Times ...