Letter: Vote for land conservation, greenways and affordable housing

Posted on by Letters
Graphic by Lori Deaton

Americans continue to move to our mountains, drawn by our beauty, job opportunities and retirement amenities. Buncombe County is the growth epicenter. Many service providers and even teachers are finding it hard to buy affordable homes. At the same time, we are losing farmland and the rural landscape and way of life we all treasure. Are these problems two sides of the same coin? Can we build affordable housing while we protect our rural communities?

We can and should find ways to pursue both of these endeavors. Affordable housing needs to be available in the already built-up areas, along established road corridors and bus routes. At the same time, we need to preserve the rural landscapes that remain in our county. My family has placed conservation easements on our land, Hickory Nut Gap Farm. We have just opened up a trail at Hickory Nut Gap that is open to the public. Greenways and trails are essential to the health of our people.

Voting yes on the Buncombe County bond referendum in November will bring both land conservation and affordable housing to our community at a critical juncture in our history. And there is some magic that happens with this money: It will be leveraged with state and federal dollars to bring even more resources to our county. Please vote yes on the Buncombe County bonds. You can learn more about them at [avl.mx/c2w].

— State Rep. John Ager
Fairview

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Letters
We want to hear from you! Send your letters and commentary to letters@mountainx.com
View all posts by Letters →

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

2 thoughts on “Letter: Vote for land conservation, greenways and affordable housing”

  1. Enlightened Enigma

    Ager is a failed democrat…Vote NO to conserve tax revenues for the county !

    1
  2. North Asheville

    John Ager, and the McClure Clarke family, are dedicated to the good of Western North Carolina and its people, and have been for generations.

    1

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.