What’s old is new again as the Buncombe County Commissioners are set to vote on support for a park connecting Haw Creek to the Blue Ridge Parkway and appointing a member of the Downtown Commission. Both matters have been before the board previously.
The Haw Creek park issue has been before the commissioners on Jan. 22 and again Feb. 5. Last time both neighborhood proponents of the plan and the commissioners agreed on a delay while the county performed an appraisal. The agreement came after County Manager Wanda Greene convinced the owner of the property in question to take it off the market for 90 days while the issue was decided. If the commissioners vote in favor of the proposal, they’ll donate a third of the funding for the purchase of the park site. The city of Asheville has agreed to donate another third, with the remainder to be raised privately.
The board was originally set to make the Downtown Commission appointment on Feb. 19, but developer Chuck Tessier and restaurateur Dwight Butner, both well-known downtown figures, tied with two votes each. Tomorrow, commissioner David Young, who was absent at the previous meeting, is set to cast the deciding vote.
The board will also vote on supporting a review of the state’s annexation laws and hear a brief on the county’s financial situation from the Western Highlands management firm.
The meeting begins at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18, in Room 204 of the Buncombe County Courthouse. A pre-meeting, including public comment, begins at 4 p.m.
— David Forbes, staff writer
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