At a rare joint meeting yesterday evening, Asheville City Council and the Asheville City School Board conferred on the achievement gap, mutual priorities and the thornier social issues that complicate both their jobs.
Tag: City of Asheville
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Asheville City Council retreat: perception and reality
While Friday’s part of Asheville City Council’s annual retreat focused on broad policy matters, Saturday morning’s session focused on perceptions (including “very bad” ones) and relationships (sometimes not very happy ones) with the legislature in Raleigh and the local public.
Winter weather still hitting Asheville hard
Schools are closed and buses are delayed as Asheville and the surrounding area still grapple with ice and snow today. The National Weather Service cautions the public to be careful of severe wind chill and icy roads through at least midday — but that didn’t stop this canine resident from enjoying the winter wonderland (photo by Alicia Funderburk).
Asheville City Council: one for the record books
Despite the snow, Asheville City Council met Jan. 28, wrapping up its business in an extraordinarily short 19-minute session. With a small agenda, Council passed new lighting and zoning records rules.
Asheville City Council preview: turning down the lights
Initially, next week’s upcoming Asheville City Council meeting, on Jan. 28, promised a showdown over a controversial development near downtown. With that matter withdrawn, however, the remaining items on the agenda are changes to the city’s rules to encourage less light pollution and modifications to development guidelines to bring them in line with new state laws.
A few weeks riding the bus
On Jan. 1, just to be dramatic about it, my car died. Since then I’ve relied on Asheville’s transit system.
Asheville’s downtown BID board goes dormant
With prospects of a special tax to fund a downtown Business Improvement District unlikely, the board for Asheville’s Downtown Improvement District is officially going dormant. According to a board representative, the members continue to work to accomplish the BID’s goals through other organizations and methods.
Suit alleges retaliation, discrimination by Asheville Police Department against officer **UPDATED**
Asheville Police Department Lt. Mark Byrd, claiming the city of Asheville’s management and the APD’s leadership retaliated and discriminated against him on a number of occasions, including when his wife filed a sexual harassment suit, filed a lawsuit in federal court Jan. 21.
Buncombe Commissioners approve $40.5 million for new Asheville Middle School
After nearly a year of debate, Buncombe County commissioners unanimously voted Jan. 14 to spend $40.5 million to build a new Asheville Middle School.
Bus riders push agenda for ‘transportation with representation’ at rally, meeting
A group, People’s Voice for Transportation Equality, presented an agenda for an overhaul of the Asheville Transit System to make it more responsive to its ridership at a rally this afternoon. The group is calling for late-night and Sunday service, more representation in the decision-making process and more accountability, among other changes. Photo by Michael Carlebach
A roof over one’s head: affordable housing overhaul moves forward
What’s needed to solve Asheville’s housing crunch? Fewer development hurdles, a city “land bank” to preserve property for affordable housing, more density and a hard “target number” for units that need to be created each year— these are some of the ideas to come out of a recent meeting of the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee.
Group to rally for ‘transportation with representation,’ unveil plan on Jan. 14
This coming Tuesday, Jan. 14, a group of transit riders and citizens will assemble in Pack Square to call for an overhaul of the city’s system that “prioritizes the needs of the people who use public transit out of necessity.” The group has a 19-point plan to improve transit services and make the management of the system more representative of its ridership.
Survey says: developers tell city commission why they don’t build affordable housing
As part of a major effort to examine Asheville’s lack of affordable housing and possibly overhaul the way city government approaches the issue, the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee interviewed a range of developers to find out why many don’t build affordable housing. They replied that the costs of land, a lack of infrastructure, insufficient transit, city rules inhibiting denser development and neighborhood opposition all play a role in why many of them don’t build more affordable units.
A tumultuous year: Asheville City Council’s ups and downs in 2013
Asheville City Council’s 2013 was marked by financial turmoil, the first major tax hike in more than a decade, the demise of a long-standing festival, and major fights with the Legislature in Raleigh.
Destination Asheville: Local leaders chart course for tourism development
The tourism industry already brings in $2.3 billion annually to Buncombe County. That’s up from roughly $183 million 30 years ago. But to continue to grow local visitation, government officials and business owners need to “anticipate trends that are shaping the future,” says Mike Konzen, a leading global consultant.
Mystery over missing newspaper boxes deepens
Newspaper boxes are back in the news, with a downtown business owner saying this week that he saw city of Asheville workers removing boxes from a downtown sidewalk late one night, and this morning, some Downtown Commission members questioning the right of newspapers to place their boxes downtown with any legal protection.
Leaders gather to discuss local tourism development
About 150 community leaders gathered Dec. 11 to discuss Asheville’s strengths as a tourism destination, learn about new projects in the works, and share ideas for the future.
Asheville City Council: Round one
A new Asheville City Council met Dec. 10, with Esther Manheimer sworn in as mayor, Marc Hunt chosen as the new vice mayor, three development decisions postponed and neighborhood leaders raising concerns about issues in East Asheville. (Photo by Alicia Funderburk)
Some missing newspaper boxes found in abandoned parking garage
Late last month, multiple local publications reported that their boxes were missing from the streets of downtown Asheville. Late last week, some of the boxes were found in an abandoned Haywood Street parking garage. There is no word yet on who put them there.
Asheville City Council preview: swearing-in, a vice mayor and apartments
The new Asheville City Council and mayor take office next Tuesday, Dec. 10, at a swearing-in before the regular meeting. Council was facing a vote on a controversial development, but it’s likely that will be delayed, though there’s still decisions on a new vice mayor, an apartment project and an overhaul of oversight in the River Arts District.
Changing of the guard: Bellamy bids farewell, Manheimer takes mayor’s seat
This week Terry Bellamy gave her farewell address after eight years as Asheville’s mayor; a time of considerable change for the city. Here’s a brief look at her tenure, and more on Mayor-elect Esther Manheimer, who will take up the gavel this Tuesday, Dec. 10.