Before the noise ordinance was passed last September, most noise complaints were called in to the Asheville Police Department nonemergency line. While APD still handles nighttime noise complaints and those that might come with safety risks, the city’s Development Services Department resolved 71% of complaints over the past year.
Both Asheville and Buncombe County offer a number of tools to help residents avoid getting caught off guard by development. The following resources give early notification of development proposals and provide more information about each project’s movement through the overall approval process.
Roughly 80 attendees had lunch on the city while hearing updates related to development, design and construction at the May 17 city manager’s development forum. City officials said permitting activity is significantly lower in the current fiscal year than last year.
Asheville begins making plans for spending $74 million in bond funds. One item on the city’s to-do list: hire new staff to manage the volume of projects planned over the next seven years.
Jason Nortz, Asheville’s most recent development services director, vacated his post in late December. Diane Meek, who formerly served as the department’s business technology project manager, was appointed interim director.
