The Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of MountainTrue, the Sierra Club, the Wilderness Society, Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity, sent a 60-day Notice of Intent to Sue to the U.S. Forest Service in relation to their Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan.
The First Baptist Church of Asheville and the Asheville YMCA are collaborating to build a major mixed-use and mixed-income development with affordable housing, a hotel, retail space, office buildings and a new YMCA building, according to plans submitted to the city. Approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 2, the Greenville-based developer The Furman Co. is now seeking final approval from City Council at its Aug. 22 meeting.
Between vapor tricks, an array of candy-like flavors and a surge in social media popularity, vaping grows more and more ubiquitous among teens and young adults, far exceeding its original intention as a cigarette cessation tool. That concerns health professionals — and even vape shop owners.
Three projects requiring special-use permits are on the agenda at the Buncombe County Board of Adjustment meeting at noon Wednesday, Aug 9. The in-person meeting will be at the Board of Commissioners Chambers, 200 College St.
It took two tries for the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority to approve spending nearly $23 million over 20 years for Asheville’s McCormick Field Centennial Restoration & Capital Improvements Project at its July 26 meeting. The motion to fund the project failed 6-2 on the first vote and passed 7-1 after the board voted again 25 minutes later.
At its July 25 meeting, Asheville City Council awarded a $1.9 million tax abatement to Aston Flats, a 231-unit microapartment development. The funding is through the city’s Land Use Incentive Grant. The approval came despite staff recommendation to delay the project until new LUIG policies were established to address microhousing units.
North Carolina is on the brink of banning transgender athletes in women’s sports from middle school through college. HB 574, also known as the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, requires a student’s sex to be recognized solely based on reproductive biology for the purposes of athletic participation.
Four months after approving up to $20 million for renovations to McCormick Field, Asheville City Council is taking another step to fund improvements to the home of the Asheville Tourists minor league baseball team. As part of the consent agenda for its meeting of Tuesday, July 25, Council will consider a $3.7 million contract with engineering firm Ewing Cole Inc. for the design of several improvements to McCormick Field, including a new sidewalk for safe pedestrian access.
While it has been over six months since the winter water outage that affected thousands of Asheville residents, several questions still linger over how such an incident could have occurred and how long the remedy will take. An independent review committee found that inadequate preparation for cold weather and a lack of training in crisis communication were the most critical missteps that amplified the effects of the outage.
Local collaborations often create opportunities for businesses to bring new life to community campaigns. Such was the case for Highland Brewing Co.’s Pints with a Purpose, after it teamed with Sound Mind Design for custom beer can art.
Cristina Hall Ackley, co-founder and president of local Ginger’s Revenge, says a common challenge that new businesses face is finding affordable benefits packages for their employees.
Local support and collaborations are often the lifeblood for new, small businesses. Such has been the case for local candle-making company Blaze On Creations, who has received donations and support from numerous other businesses in the area.
Press Release from the City of Asheville: The following are public hearings scheduled for the next formal meeting – July 25. This listing is for information only and is subject to change. Please call City Clerk Maggie Burleson at 259-5601 if you have any questions. A. Public hearing to consider adoption of the South […]
A mixed-income housing project that’s been years in the making is now cleared for construction, following a unanimous June 27 vote by Asheville City Council. The conditional zoning approval will permit 221 units to be built at 311 and 319 Biltmore Ave., just south of downtown.
