Asheville City Council voted unanimously, 6-0, July 23 to put four, $20 million general obligation bonds on the Nov. 5 ballot. Council member Sheneika Smith was absent.
The bonds, if all approved by voters, would provide $20 million for housing, $20 million for transportation, $20 million for parks and recreation and $20 million for public safety.
Tony McDowell, the City of Asheville’s director of finance, said the entire package would mean an estimated property tax increase of $110 for the owner of a property assessed at $420,946, the city’s average house value.
That tax would be atop a citywide tax increase of about $25.20 for owners of property valued at $400,000 and a Buncombe County increase of $78. Those with property in the newly approved Business Improvement District downtown will face an additional increase of $360 per year.
Three people spoke in favor of the bonds before the vote. David Nutter, chairman of Connect Buncombe’s advocacy and partnership committee, supported the bonds.
“We believe these investments are welcoming for all the people in our community,” Nutter said.
Sally Grau and Brooke Heaton, members of Rebuild Malvern Hills Pools, thanked Council for its commitment to rebuild the historic pool with general obligation funds.
“Our community fabric is woven by the spaces we share, public schools, parks, libraries and in the hot days of summer swimming pools,” Grau said, “These public spaces mean so much … because they bring us together. We see and greet our friends and neighbors, we make new friends, and with each hug, each high-five, each hello, we build the fabric that makes our city the kind of place that people live to live.”
“There’s no better way to see our tax dollars at work than in the excited giggles of a kid splashing on a hot summer day,” Heaton said.
In other news
The Asheville City Council approved, 5-1, rezoning a 27-acre project at 767 New Haw Creek Road for an 84-unit residential development. Council member Kim Roney voted opposition.
The estate of landowner Margaret B. King and the project’s applicant, Warren Sugg of Civil Design Concepts, requested rezoning of the parcel in East Asheville from Residential Single-Family Medium Density District (RS-4), which permits single-family homes, to Residential Expansion — Conditional Zone (RES EXP-CZ), which permits a range of high-density single and multifamily homes.
The plan, presented by Sam Starr-Baum, urban planner II with the City of Asheville’s Planning and Urban Design Department, will include 49 single-family homes and 35 townhomes, as well as parking, amenities and stormwater infrastructure.
The project, which also includes a 4.3-acre tree canopy preservation area on the eastern portion of the property, was approved 4-3 by the Planning and Zoning Commission on March 20.
The plan is the result of a compromise between developer L.B. Jackson and Co. and the Haw Creek Community Association. A previous proposal had included 92 housing units — 57 homes and 35 townhouses.
Twenty-four speakers addressed the Council during the hearing, nearly split between those for and against the project.
“It has been a bumpy road getting to this place,” Chris Pelly, president of the Haw Creek Community Association, said during public comments. “Within Haw Creek there has been a range of opinions about the best path forward.” Pelly praised Mayor Esther Manheimer’s role in fostering negotiations between Pelly and his neighbors and property developer Jackson.
“I believe that the proposal; before you is the least worst option,” Pelly continued. “For this reason, the 12-member board of directors of the Haw Creek Community Association have tepidly but unanimously supported the proposal before you today.”
Additionally, Council approved a contract for the repair and replacement of HVAC parts and equipment in the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, passed a resolution authorizing up to $2 million for ongoing improvements at McCormick Field and designated the F.W. Woolworth building in downtown Asheville as the city’s latest historic landmark.
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