The Asheville City Council approved three conditional-use permits for new buildings at its July 26 formal session, including one that will almost double the size of the Fun Depot entertainment facility on Roberts Road. But most of the discussion concerned a 10-story office building planned for the corner of Woodfin and College streets downtown. The […]

The appropriate boundary between public and private loomed large at the Asheville City Council’s July 12 formal session. Council members vetoed the Mountain Area Information Network’s request for free antenna space on a city-owned tower on a 4-3 vote after concerns were aired about the group’s political leanings. MAIN, which already supplies both high-speed wireless […]

As government goes, it was an eventful three days. In a special meeting June 30 (which was actually a continuation of City Council’s work session two days earlier), Council members marked the passing of the Water Agreement with final words of thanks to city staff (and one another), reassurances to the citizenry — and lamentations […]

A time crunch can make anyone nervous — including Asheville City Council members. With both the expiration of the Water Agreement and the deadline for approving the 2005-06 budget coming up fast, the pressure showed at Council’s June 14 formal session. After only a couple of comments from the public lamenting a drop in funding […]

Proposed changes to Asheville’s animal-control ordinance could force pet owners inside the city limits to spay or neuter their animals or pay a $100 registration fee. The new language, which is similar to a pet ordinance already in place in Buncombe County, is intended to cut down on the number of neglected, stray and feral […]

A divided Asheville City Council approved a newly drafted water proposal that some city leaders are calling the last opportunity for a truce before the two sides wind up in court. “I hope the [Buncombe County] commissioners recognize that our backs are up against the wall,” said Council member Jan Davis. “If this is unacceptable, […]

photo by Jodi Ford Something old, something new: The train station in Marion — restored for $1.78 million — will be dedicated on May 20. The renovation includes outdoor and indoor stages, upgraded restrooms, a kitchen area and other amenities. The future of passenger rail service, however, remains murky. The old train station in Marion […]

Harried Asheville City Council members took a break from their all-day-and-into-the-night water negotiations with the Buncombe County commissioners to sandwich in the April 26 formal session. “As many of you know, we have had a long and trying day,” noted Council member Jan Davis before delivering the invocation that kicked off the Council session. And […]

The Asheville City Council’s unanimous approval of a proposed mixed-use development in Asheville’s River District paves the way for further revitalization in the historic area, neighboring merchants say. “Please vote for the zoning that will allow for this improvement,” urged Susan Kendel, owner of Carolina Cornerstone Construction on Depot Street, one of several local businesspeople […]

With a spare Tuesday on their hands — no City Council meetings are planned for the fifth Tuesday of any month — Council members huddled with a consultant hired back in December to help choose a new city manager. City Manager Jim Westbrook was slated to retire last month after 11 years on the job, […]

You can’t always get what you want, whether you’re a member of the public or the Asheville City Council. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make your point — or even take a stand. And at the March 22 formal session, Council member Holly Jones wondered whether two resolutions supporting recommendations made by the Downtown […]

The Asheville City Council’s whirlwind March 8 formal session blew through the Council chamber in less than an hour. But when the dust cleared, a number of projects and initiatives had been nudged along. Most of the points on Council’s consent agenda (a cluster of separate, noncontroversial items that’s typically approved on a single vote) […]

A long-term plan to make Asheville more pedestrian-friendly won approval at City Council’s Feb. 22 formal session, but an attempt by two Council members to add teeth to the proposal was thwarted. The Asheville Pedestrian Plan Update analyzes the city’s needs for amenities that encourage walking, such as sidewalks and greenways. Implementing the extensive list […]

Spring cleaning began a little early this year as the Asheville City Council took the time — quite a bit of it — to discuss potential changes to existing city ordinances. Challenging the usefulness of some procedures, whether obsolete signage rules or mandatory Council review of proposed private development projects, no holds were barred in […]

Amid the continuing flight of manufacturing firms from Western North Carolina, the latest buzzword for attracting new jobs to the region seems to be “high-tech.” The Asheville City Council got a glimpse of that future at its Jan. 25 formal session when it approved a $25,000 economic-incentive grant to help bring a new high-tech company […]

A plan to get homeless people off the streets and into housing — with no strings attached — got the green light from City Council at its Jan. 11 formal session. Based on a “housing first” model developed and promoted by national nonprofits dealing with the homeless, the local plan is part of a federal […]

Asheville Police Chief Bill Hogan by Brian Postelle It’s been about seven months since Bill Hogan came on board as Asheville’s new police chief. Chosen from a pool of 89 applicants by City Manager Jim Westbrook, Hogan arrived in Asheville after five years spent heading up the Rocky Mount, N.C., Police Department. In response to […]