According to Rob Robinson, 57% of buildable surface area in the Central Business District, not including parks or streets, is surface-level parking lots. That doesn’t include parking garages or on-street parking.
Author: Greg Parlier
Showing 64-84 of 231 results
County to consider Asheville Primary School site plans
The former Asheville Primary School site may move one step closer to serving the community in a new way if the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approves plans at its meeting Tuesday, Aug. 6.
Despite public outcry, FBO at Hominy Creek to close Oct. 15
The outdoor bar and event space, which has been located at the intersection of Hominy Creek and the French Broad River in West Asheville since 2016, is located on county-owned land and is being forced to move because of a stipulation in a land conservation easement agreement between the county and RiverLink.
Consultant finds no evidence of bias in the Tax Assessor’s Office
The report, authored by Kevin Keene of Keene Mass Appraisal Consulting, concluded that there was “no evidence of systemic racial or income bias,” “no evidence of overt political interference” and “no evidence of bias in the attitudes of the workforce.”
Reparations commission to ask for six-month extension
City staff, however, plans to recommend the commission get only another three months to complete its task of finalizing recommendations for how the city and county can repair harm caused by generations of systemic racism and produce a final report. The discrepancy rankled commission members.
County to renovate Woodfin Street complex, relocate public services
Joining the Family Justice Center in the building would be tax collections, tax assessment, election services, permits and inspections, planning, air quality and environmental health.
County makes progress toward affordability goals
Amid a housing crisis that has seen costs continue to skyrocket as supply can’t keep up with the rising demand, many families are just one bad break away from becoming homeless. But this fiscal year, Buncombe County is making its biggest investment yet in affordable housing. For the first time in years, county commissioners are sounding an optimistic note.
Asheville City Schools considers staff cuts
Even after making some cuts to increased expenditures and allocating $3 million from reserves, the district may need to cut staff to close the $1.2 million budget gap, she said.
Buncombe school board opposes private school vouchers
The Buncombe County Board of Education is not happy with the direction state legislators are taking in funding schools.
Glenda Weinert brings variety of experience to county school board
From child care centers to colleges, Glenda Weinert’s education experience has influenced students young and old. But it’s her business expertise and political leadership as former chair of the Buncombe County Republican Party that make her a unique addition to the Buncombe County Board of Education.
Reparations Commission wrestles with legal questions around recommendations
Commission member MZ Yehudah cut right to the point at a recent meeting of the Community Reparations Commission. “Are reparations for Black Asheville legally defensible?” The answer, according to city and county attorneys, is complicated.
County passes 2024-25 budget, property tax increase
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted 6-0 on June 18 to approve a $440 million general fund budget for fiscal year 2024-25. Chair Brownie Newman said the decision to raise taxes is not easy, and this was the toughest budget season he’s been through in his 12 years on the commission.
Walking trail highlights Asheville’s Black heritage
From Asheville’s first elected Black person in 1882 to the destructive outcomes of one of the South’s largest urban renewal projects in the 1960s and ’70s on a previously thriving Southside community, the mile-long trail takes visitors through the under-told stories of Black Asheville’s long history in three sections.
County poised to approve budget, tax increase
If passed, the new rate — 52.35 cents per $100 of value — would mean the owner of a home valued at $400,000 will pay $2,094 in taxes to the county, $102 more than last year.
County juggles aging ambulances and rising demand
As the pandemic-era backlog of emergency vehicles continues to delay new trucks from reaching Buncombe County, paramedics are left driving aging ambulances longer than they should just as they are needed more than ever before.
Asheville educator advocacy group rallies for a seat at the table
On June 10, the Asheville City Association of Educators delivered a letter signed by the Parent Teacher Organizations or parent teams from all eight of the district’s schools.
Bacoate Branch Trail hits a dead end
After several months of discussion, including a contentious meeting with the Asheville City Board of Education June 3, Mike Sule, who was spearheading the project, asked the board to remove the project from its agenda June 10.
PHOTOS: Buncombe County Association of Educators rallies for increased education spending
At a rally in Pack Square June 6, the Buncombe County Association of Educators, an organized advocacy group for teachers, argued that the state of North Carolina and Buncombe County governments should allocate more funding for education.
Business owner, former Buncombe GOP chair appointed to county school board
Former Buncombe County GOP Chair Glenda Weinert, who is a current member of the Buncombe County Schools Foundation, received the most votes on June 6 in the opening round of an open-ended series of votes among the six sitting members of the board.
County greenlights conservation of 600 acres at Warren Wilson College
More than half of Warren Wilson College’s 1,100-acre campus is on its way to permanent preservation after the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners agreed to chip in county funds to make it happen.
Public invited to speak on proposed 2024-25 county budget
Your chance to address the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on its proposed 2024-25 budget, including a 2.55-cent property tax hike, has arrived. Commissioners will hold its annual public hearing on the budget at its meeting Tuesday, June 4 before voting on the budget later in the month.
