A report on the options for I-26 alternatives by former Asheville Planning Director Scott Shuford is “incomplete” and leaves out several key factors, according to a critique by Dr. David Johnson, a longtime professional planner and professor emeritus of planning at the University of Tennessee.
In a tense 3-2 vote, Buncombe County commissioners Tuesday night voted for the route known as Alternative 3 for the Interstate 26 Connector route through Asheville.
A report by former Asheville planning director Scott Shuford comparing the impact of I-26 connector alternatives says the plan drafted by the Asheville Design Center will have the most overall impact on several surrounding areas.
Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Richard Lutovsky told Xpress today that despite concerns raised about the Alternative 3 proposal for the I-26 connector, he still feels it is “best for the community in general” and superior to the Asheville Design Center’s Alternative 4b.
In its regular meeting Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 6, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners is set for a close vote on the controversial matter of which I-26 alternative to endorse.
Asheville City Council member Brownie Newman says a county resolution in support of any other plan would undercut the weight of the City Council’s endorsement of alternative 4B and send the message of “a divided community.”
As the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners gears up to endorse a plan for the future I-26 connector at its Jan. 6 meeting, Xpress offers a look at our coverage of many aspects of this controversial issue.
Alternative 3, a plan for the future I-26 connector backed by the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and some Buncombe County commissioners, would demolish about 25 houses in the predominantly African-American Burton Street neighborhood, leaving 13 others nearby facing a sound wall.
A technicality forced the Buncombe County commissioners to postpone a meeting on their preferred route for the much-disputed Interstate 26 Connector. On Dec. 16, the commissioners narrowly voted to delay endorsing one of the four potential routes for connector, as requested by the state Department of Transportation. The controversial project has been in the works […]
Parkside “zombie” returns; activists want eminent domain In a rare 3-2 vote, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners narrowly agreed to delay endorsing one of the remaining options for the controversial I-26 connector until more information has come in. But less than 48 hours later, Commissioner K. Ray Bailey changed his mind, joining forces with […]
The meeting, scheduled to allow the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners to make their recommendation for the I-26 connector design, has been canceled, with the board now planning to decide on the matter Jan. 6
Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ Dec. 16 meeting
Tomorrow is the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners last meeting of the year, with one major item, endorsing a plan for the I-26 connector, on the agenda. But expect the Parkside issue, due to the recently approved demolition of the Hayes & Hopson building, to come up as well.
DOT to include alternative 4b in connector study County gets clean bill of financial health Board bids farewell to Ramsey, Young Nov. 18 was the last meeting for Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Chair Nathan Ramsey and longtime Commissioner David Young. Nonetheless, the board had some major business to deal with. Foremost was a proposal […]
Filling vacant Council seats Council thanks DOT A proposed seven-story, 145-room hotel on Biltmore Avenue cleared a key hurdle when the Asheville City Council approved the requested conditional zoning at its Oct. 14 formal session. But determining the extent of the city’s involvement in a partnership with the development group and Public Interest Projects, an […]
The Interstate 26 Connector project will create a new highway crossing over the French Broad River and will also include widening Interstate 240 in West Asheville and changing the configuration of the I-26/I-40/I-240 interchange, known as “Malfunction Junction.” The project has been in discussion for nearly two decades. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2013, […]
Attendance was strong at the N.C. Department of Transportation’s daylong Interstate 26 open house on Sept. 16, and nobody could fault the agency for lack of information. The maps wallpapering the Renaissance Hotel’s ballroom were extensive, and the computer-generated flyover videos were nifty and informative. (To view the video, go to www.mountainx.com/xpressfiles.) The whole thing […]
The N.C. Department of Transportation’s computer-generated videos of the Interstate 26 Connector project in Asheville bring to vivid life the construction plans that, until now, have only been seen on flat maps.
Asheville water supply still OK City offices may move to Innsbruck Mall Despite earlier reports that an alternative bridge design produced by a local volunteer group was on track for consideration by the N.C. Department of Transportation, it’s actually still a step or two behind the other options, a DOT engineer told Asheville City Council […]
Highlights from the August 19 work session.
Council will hears about the water supply, I-26 and the transit system.
