Jeremy Goldstein
goldstein2017.com
Occupation: Local business owner, commercial real estate brokerage company
Previous candidacy: None
Affiliations: Unaffiliated
Short-answer questions
Why are you running for City Council?
To preserve and protect our quality of life during this period of intense growth.
What relevant experience makes you a good candidate for City Council?
Local, small downtown business owner with a 23-year commercial real estate brokerage practice. Six years of service on Asheville’s Planning and Zoning Commission, the last four years as chair.
What do you bring to City Council that other candidates don’t?
Starting from scratch, maintaining and growing a company in Asheville. Working with private developers to bring much-needed housing to downtown. An intimate knowledge of our zoning laws and procedures and how to use those powers to improve lives.
What three achievable goals would you champion in the next two years?
1) Protect our neighborhoods. 2) Promote affordability. 3) Encourage thoughtful growth — to increase our tax base without encouraging sprawl and eroding our quality of life.
What is one recent City Council decision you don’t agree with and how would you have handled it differently?
Except for provisions added to increase public engagement, I would repeal a recent 52-page amendment to the UDO that essentially politicizes project approval. As passed, it stifles dense development exactly where we need it most and contributes to sprawl, increased traffic, increased property taxes and less affordable housing options.
What makes Asheville home to you?
My family. Like many others, we chose to be here and want good jobs, a bustling economy, natural beauty and an independent spirit to prevail in the future.
Yes-or-no questions
Is the city effectively managing its finances?
Yes.
Should the city do more to manage the pace of hotel development?
Yes.
Should the city ease its restrictions on short-term residential rentals?
No.
Is the Buncombe County TDA contributing its fair share to help the city manage the impact of tourism?
Yes.
Should the city budget more money to support nonprofit grassroots initiatives?
No.
Should more resources be allocated to the Asheville Police Department?
Yes.
Should the city implement election districts for seats on City Council?
Yes.
Has city staff been sufficiently transparent about the increase in costs for the River Arts District Transportation Improvement Project?
Yes.
Should the Haywood Street property across from the Civic Center be green space only?
No.
Are the city’s current affordable housing strategies sufficient?
No.
His pro-density talk is laudable, but I know he is lying because nobody favoring an affordable housing supply would ever get appointed to the zoning board, much less as chair, so I know it is so much lip service.