The roommate lifestyle is an indelible part of our culture these days (think television shows like Friends and Will & Grace). In Asheville, as in much of the rest of the country, the high cost of housing drives many people to live in pairs or even larger groups. It’s become so accepted that it just […]
Author: Brian Postelle
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Getting lucky
In the ground-floor community room of the recently completed Griffin Apartments, a handful of residents sit around a table. Ranging widely in age, race, background and lifestyle, what they have in common is a need for affordable housing in downtown Asheville. Safe at home: Laura Mae Huff has decorated her apartment to her tastes. photos […]
Asheville City Council Alert: UDO public hearing
Several hotly anticipated amendments to the city of Asheville’s Unified Development Ordinance will be open for public hearings at City Council’s Tuesday, April 24, meeting, including language that would tighten review standards, allow public hearings for subdivisions and cap construction on steep slopes.
Into the wild blue yonder: Air Force to train around Asheville
When you hear the thumping of military helicopters this weekend, don’t panic: It’s not a Red Dawn-style invasion — it’s Air Force training that will be going on from Saturday, April 21, through Thursday, April 26.
Asheville City Council
Despite a Feb. 27 vote supporting a ban on gated communities, City Council narrowly approved a conditional-use permit at its April 10 meeting allowing a 132-unit gated condominium development in North Asheville. The permit was needed because the proposed design calls for clustering the homes, which would exceed the allowable density under current zoning. Presto […]
Asheville City Council fences over gates
After a second visit by developers Global Development Resources and their attorney Craig Justus, Asheville City Council gave the nod to a 132-unit gated development at the historic Thoms Estate in Beaverdam. In return, the developers said the gates would close only at night, and that there would be pedestrian access to the neighborhood for area residents.
City bails out of McCormick Heights purchase
The city of Asheville has backed out of its plans to buy the McCormick Heights housing project, but will continue to assist and fund the relocation of tenants there. In December, City Council voted to approve the $2.5 million purchase of the ailing property from a subsidiary of Progress Energy and build new mixed-income housing […]
Bellamy’s Big Picture
In order to create an environmentally sustainable community, both elected officials and citizens must be open to policy and lifestyle changes, Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy said in her April 3 State of the City address. Hand it to ya: Mayor Terry Bellamy applauds city staff during her State of the City address. The speech highlighted […]
Asheville mayor on McCormick Heights: more than drugs
Mayor Terry Bellamy says that a handful of problems — including changing market needs and failures in promotion, management and maintenance — and not just crime led to the breakdown of the McCormick Heights housing project. Council member Carl Mumpower sees things differently.
Mumpower scolded by Rep. Charles Thomas
It can get hot under the spotlight, and for Asheville City Council’s major squeaky wheel, Carl Mumpower, that means reaction from more than just bummed-out concert-goers and blogmeisters.
Downtown’s ugly duckling past
For those who didn’t live in Asheville in the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s, the image of a dead, boarded-up downtown may seem abstract. For a tour of downtown’s history from those days to the bustling present, check out this report by the Asheville Downtown Commission, to be presented to City Council at its April 10 meeting.
Asheville mayor on the city’s state
Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy gave her second State of the City address on Tuesday, April 3, in City Hall. The 30-minute speech, delivered before a nearly full Council chamber, touched on the city’s accomplishments over the past year and highlighted some of the mayor’s priorities for the near future.
The box rebellion
When Asheville City Council member Robin Cape piped up during a March 13 discussion on graffiti, she confronted another of the city’s aesthetic challenges: The proliferation of newspaper boxes. Thinking inside the box: A string of newspaper stands is transformed in a demonstration with the CPG boxes, shown below by former Xpress circulation specialist Jesse […]
Asheville City Council
Coming this summer: a more locally oriented Bele Chere. After hearing a presentation based on data from a Jan. 30 public forum (see “Bele Chere’s a ‘Keeper’: How Do You Want It?” Feb. 2 Xpress), the Asheville City Council voted unanimously to focus the mammoth festival more on local music, art and businesses. Jam locally: […]
See what condition our condition is in: Asheville mayor reports
Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy will give her State of the City address on Tuesday, April 3, at 5 p.m. According to a press release by the city, the speech will focus on on public safety, growth and improving the quality of life for Asheville families.
Asheville bails out of McCormick Heights purchase
The city of Asheville has backed out of its plans to buy the McCormick Heights housing project, but will continue to assist and fund the relocation of tenants there.
Mellows harshed at RatDog show
Hippies beware: Council member Carl Mumpower was not the only official to observe drug activity at the recent RatDog concert in the Asheville Civic Center.
Asheville City Council
With a slew of presentations and only a handful of formal votes, the Asheville City Council’s March 13 meeting harked back to the good old days when Council members used work sessions to get up to speed on issues facing the city. The meeting spotlighted a number of potential future initiatives, including a new park, […]
Color me bad? Asheville Police make another grafitti arrest
Earlier this month, we reported on the Asheville Police Department’s graffiti crackdown and the arrest of three people for alleged “graffiti-related crimes.” Now the APD has announced the arrest of another person, 18-year-old John Baxter Harrill Jr., as a result of an investigation into graffiti activities downtown. According to an e-mail from APD Officer Steve Riddle, Harrill’s Fairview home was searched and a collection of “items related to vandalism” were seized, spawning reactions from city officials.
Surfing Asheville’s new Web site
Tired of Asheville’s clunky web site? Well, fret no more, because the new one has been unveiled.
Asheville City Council Preview: March 13
What does it take to live in Asheville? Council will hear about a living wage for city employees. Also: more on the prospect of a new speedway.