Development laws need to be enforced

Thank you, David Forbes, for the well-written account of the repeated run-off violations from Beverly-Grant’s strip-mall development on Merrimon Avenue (“Muddy Waters,” Jan. 29, Xpress ).  As much as I respect Shannon Tuch, director of Asheville’s development services, I must strongly disagree with her statement that Beverly-Grant is “really trying” [to keep its pollution on-site].

If a company’s actions cause pollution once yet they quickly fix it and make sure it doesn’t happen again, that’s really trying. However, we’ve documented pollution running straight into Reed Creek from this site periodically for more than two years.

Government exists to protect the public good and ensure an equal playing field. Asheville has a long history of failing to fully enforce our development laws and a culture of soft-pedaling the damage done by violators. I hope that is changing. I’m glad the city responded to the latest violation with a fine, but the fine is too low to serve as a deterrent. However, as the article states, the Statehouse controls the fine structure.

And the current Republican supermajority serves at the pleasure of polluters. They are gutting what little legal power localities have had to safeguard the public good. If you care as much as I do about clean water, clean air and responsible development, then I urge you to do every thing in your power to elect Democrats to office in November.

— Heather Rayburn
Asheville

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Letters
We want to hear from you! Send your letters and commentary to letters@mountainx.com

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

3 thoughts on “Development laws need to be enforced

  1. travelah

    I’ve been out of town for a couple of years. When did Asheville government go from leftwing nutty to super-majority Republican?

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.