Asheville City Council May 24, 2011 meeting City to extend Clingman bike lane Brevard Road Ingles gets sign variance Despite disputes over fee increases and rainy-day funds, Asheville City Council members approved a $132.5 million budget for the next fiscal year at their May 24 meeting. Passed by a 6-1 margin, the budget includes no […]
Author: Christopher George
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Xpress Interview: Shaw Canale and Sharon Oxendine of Mountain BizWorks
Xpress freelancer Anne Fitten Glenn sits down with Mountain BizWorks CEO Shaw Canale and Women’s Business Center Director Sharon Oxendine to discuss local trends concerning women in business.
Asheville City Council report: Budget passed 6-1
At its meeting on May 24, Asheville City Council passed $132.5 million dollar budget for fiscal year 2012 in a 6-1 vote. Mayor Terry Bellamy voted against the proposed budget citing concerns over the water-rate increase on commercial and industrial customers, the increase in the household recycling fee, the lack of a cost-of-living increase for city employees, and the city’s inability to meet their stated goal of keeping the reserve fund balance at 15 percent of the total budget. The budget contains no property or sales tax increases.
Too little, too late?
Ben Teague of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce sees a light at the end of the tunnel for unemployed Buncombe County residents. Teague, who’s executive director of the Chamber’s Economic Development Coalition, says his agency has roughly $257 million in “active projects”: local companies may expand, or other companies could locate here. All that […]
County budget dodges tax increase
Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting May 17, 2011 • Sheriff’s Office seeks $1.4 million increase • Nursing homes “dumping” problem residents Financial concerns dominated the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ May 17 meeting, as County Manager Wanda Greene presented the roughly $303 million budget proposed for the fiscal year that begins July 1. That […]
LIVE coverage of May 24 Asheville City Council meeting
Follow live Twitter updates from tonight’s Asheville City Council meeting right here beginning at 5 p.m.
Asheville City Council preview: budget reports, and Brevard Road Ingles redevelopment
At its meeting on Tuesday, May 24, Asheville City Council will hear a report from its Finance Committee Chair, Councilman Bill Russell, a quarterly financial report for the third quarter of fiscal year 2011, and hold a pair of public hearings on the proposed redevelopment of the Ingles grocery store at 863 Brevard Road.
The Commish Report: Public hearing for budget set for June 7
At their May 17 session, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners heard a report from County Manager Wanda Greene on the fiscal year 2011-2012 budget. Green estimates the budget at almost $303 million, a 1.7 percent increase over last fiscal year. No tax increases are in this year’s budget
Live: Buncombe County Commissioners May 17 meeting
Follow Xpress reporter Christopher George’s live coverage of the May 17 Buncombe County Commissioners meeting beginning at 4:30 p.m., below. Or follow the Twitter hashag #avlgov.
Buncombe County Commissioners preview: Budget edition
Despite slow growth and state cuts, the Buncombe County budget won’t call for any tax increases. The budget is the top agenda item for commissioners’ Tuesday, May 17, meeting.
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Raises $20,000 for Our VOICE
The Saturday, April 30, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event featured almost 500 people donning high heels and strolling through downtown Asheville. Aimed at raising awareness about sexual violence and abuse in Buncombe County, the annual walk raised enough money to support several services provided by event sponsor Our VOICE.
Have heels, will travel:Walk a Mile in Her Shoes VIDEO
Several hundred men and other folks strapped on heels and strolled through downtown Asheville on Saturday, April 30. Their purpose: Raise awareness and money to combat sexual assault and abuse. Among the walkers in the Our VOICE-sponsored event were Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan and City Council member Cecil Bothwell.
Video: Interview with Kit Cramer and Ben Teague of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce
Xpress freelancer Anne Fitten Glenn interviews Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Kit Cramer and Ben Teague, executive director of the Economic Development Coalition.
Access or egress?
Buncombe County Board of Commissioners April 5, 2011 meeting Buncombe ranked N.C.’s 17th healthiest county Commissioners OK public-safety towers A standing-room-only crowd turned out for the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ April 5 meeting; many were there to urge increased funding for URTV. The public-access channel can be seen on Charter Communications’ Channel 20 in […]
Turning the tables
Local physicians will get a chance to become patients Thursday, March 31, as part of the local observance of National Doctors Day. From 6 to 10 a.m. in Mission Hospital’s lobby, doctors can receive a free medical exam, including a blood-pressure check, a tuberculin test and, for male physicians, a prostate exam. The holiday was […]
Taking the LEED
Asheville City Council March 8, 2011, meeting $1.2 million revenue shortfall projected Early voting sites on chopping block? In the latest effort to encourage construction of high-density, environmentally sustainable, affordable rental housing, the Asheville City Council approved a new “transformation development” incentives policy March 8 on a 6-1 vote. The policy implements a points system: […]
Asheville City Council adopts transformational development incentives
At their March 8 meeting, Asheville City Council members voted 6-1 to approve an incentives policy that encourages high density, environmentally sustainable, affordable housing developments. Members also tabled several items for further discussion, including a proposal that expands reporting requirements for pawn shops.
Closing the loop(hole)
Asheville City Council Feb. 8, 2011 meeting Council to consider raising industrial/commercial water rates Pack Park visitor center scaled back A sharply divided Asheville City Council approved two amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance during their Feb. 8 session on matching 4-3 votes . One would triple the minimum distance between developments for them to […]
Two trains runnin’
Well there’s two, there’s two trains runnin’ but they ain’t never, no, goin’ my way; now the one runs at midnight, and the other one runs just ’fore day. — Muddy Waters, “Still a Fool” When the last passenger train pulled into the Southern Railway station on Depot Street more than 60 years ago, the […]
Cost-sharing hiccup
In a 6-5 vote Dec. 15, the Metropolitan Sewerage District board tabled plans to implement a new cost-sharing policy for sewer-line extensions in new developments and annexed areas until January. Despite getting the go-ahead from the MSD Planning Committee on Dec. 2 (in what was also a close vote), the board heeded a request from […]
Stealthy green
From the outside, it’s not obvious what’s so special about 372 Depot, a new mixed-use development in Asheville’s River Arts District. Sited on a former brownfield, the 90,000-square-foot brick structure seems like just another new building with street-level retail space and apartments above. In fact, this innovative project represents a number of significant firsts for […]