The Interim BID Board has released its revised proposal for a Business Improvement District in downtown Asheville. The new proposal shortens the borders of the district, delays the controversial ambassador safety program, and changes the composition of the governing board, as well as opening the possibility of a lower tax to fund the district.
Today the city of Asheville released a list of public hearings scheduled for the Sept. 25 Asheville City Council meeting. It notes that a decision on a Business Improvement District for downtown could be delayed until Oct. 9. The interim BID Board has requested the change, as Vice Mayor Esther Manheimer will be absent that night.
The basic idea behind the business-improvement district proposed for downtown Asheville is a good one: people working together to solve shared problems that tend to hamper or impede the conduct of business and peaceful living. Graffiti, vandalism, snow, trash, debris, crimes and misdemeanors are real issues — but solutions to these and other problems can be effected individually or cooperatively.
The proposed downtown Asheville Business Improvement District isn’t just controversial within the city limits: four towns, along with the Buncombe County Fire Chiefs’ Association, oppose the measure because it will reduce the sales-tax revenue they receive from the county.
About 60 people — ranging from condo owners to the homeless — showed up at tonight’s public-input meeting on the proposed Business Improvement District for downtown Asheville. However, critics said they felt the process was slanted towards BID proponents. Photos by Max Cooper.
Follow live Twitter coverage of the city’s public input meeting on the controversial proposal for a Business Improvement District in downtown Asheville. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Asheville Civic Center ballroom.
The BID program proposes a staff of 14 employees to cover the downtown business district. What will these 14 employees be doing the three to four winter months when there are few visitors to Asheville downtown? In addition to the slack time in winter, during the rest of the year downtown is busy from Wednesday […]
After more than a month of relative quiet, the controversial proposal to create a Business Improvement District in downtown Asheville is back in the public eye, as the city will hold a public input meeting tonight, July 17, at 5:30 p.m. in the U.S. Cellular Center ballroom.
Retired social worker and activist John Spitzberg offers thoughts on how to change the Business Improvement District proposal — which he believes “will only serve to make life much more difficult for the homeless” in its current form — into something that can improve social services downtown.
A debate over the future of downtown dominated the June 12 Asheville City Council meeting. Concerned about oversight, finances, Council delayed a vote on the controversial BID proposal till Fall.
After a lengthy public hearing, Asheville City Council voted 6-0 to delay a vote on the controversial Business Improvement District proposal until Sept. 25 due to concerns about the governing structure, finances and details of its services. Council also broke a deadlock over the issue of staff salaries, approving an annual budget for the city that includes a 2 percent raise for city staff — but shy of the 3 percent Mayor Terry Bellamy advocated for.
Follow live Twitter dispatches from tonight’s Asheville City Council meeting, with controversial topics like the Business Improvement District and the budget deadlock on the agenda.
At tonight’s Asheville City Council meeting, two extremely controversial topics — a vote on a Business Improvement District and breaking a budget deadlock — are before the city’s elected leaders. If that wasn’t enough, there are also votes on incentives for a south Asheville housing development and New Belgium’s brewery.
About 40 people gathered in Pack Memorial Library’s Lord Auditorium for a June 5 forum on the proposed business improvement district for downtown Asheville. The event was organized by StopAVLBID, and many in attendance opposed the idea. The group describes itself as a coalition that “includes activists working within the Occupy movement, local cooperatives, community […]
Tonight, Asheville City Council is set to tackle the issue of a Business Improvement District — a services nonprofit funded by a special tax district in downtown. Here’s a roundup of information and perspectives on this controversial topic.
Pushcart vendors made progress on one of their demands today, as the Downtown Commission unanimously endorse extending their hours to 2 a.m. The commission talked about the vendors’ proposals, as well as the Business Improvement District, possible newspaper box restrictions and other issues.
About 40 people showed up to a June 5 community forum organized by opponents of the proposed downtown Business Improvement District. Some proponents showed up, too, resulting in a lively but civil discussion. On June 12, Asheville City Council will discuss the proposal and likely vote the BID up or down. (photo by Max Cooper)
Plans to create a Business Improvement District in downtown Asheville have drawn attention in past weeks, and tonight, its opponents have organized a community forum on the topic, starting at 5 p.m. at Pack Memorial Library. Follow Senior Reporter David Forbes via Twitter — @davidforbes or #avlbid.
The past week has seen the issue of a Business Improvement District in downtown Asheville become increasingly controversial, as more organizations and individuals have weighed in on the matter. There will be a community forum on the issue 5 p.m. tonight at Pack Memorial Library, organized by BID opponents.
At a community meeting focusing on the core of the city, Asheville City Council heard from a number of residents, property, and business owners critical of a proposed Business Improvement District downtown. Others had concerns about a possible hotel near the Basilica of St. Lawrence, among other issues.
The city administrators are striving to create a business improvement district, or BID program. The defined area will include all the businesses and every property owner in that district. Instead of having everyone included in the defined area having a vote, they will subdivide into smaller districts. Therefore, many residents in a subdistrict will be […]
