The balance of power shifted from landowners back to voters in a proposal on community-based planning adopted by the Buncombe County Planning Board this month. The change, however, came about in a surprising way. On March 3, County Attorney Joe Connolly told the group he sees no legal problem with letting only landowners sign petitions […]

“This sounds like a hornet’s nest of ethical issues.” — journalism-ethics expert Bob Steele of The Poynter Institute Amid the media hype leading up to the dueling rallies held March 1 in downtown Asheville, news of the impending events was hard to escape. What proved more elusive, however, was information about the roles played in […]

A Buncombe County Planning Board recommendation on community-based planning may be legally problematic — but for a different reason than was anticipated. On Feb. 3, the Planning Board decided, on a split vote, to recommend that the county commissioners allow local communities to create their own planning districts. The draft ordinance calls for letting only […]

Whenever the issue of Buncombe County land-use regulations comes up, controversy is almost sure to follow. That held true this month when the Buncombe County Planning Board decided, on a split vote, to recommend that only property owners be allowed to sign petitions calling for the creation of a community-based planning district. With countywide zoning […]

An attempt by Buncombe County Commissioner David Gantt to divert more money to the city and county schools flopped last week. At the Board of Commissioners’ Feb. 4 meeting, Gantt — with the support of Commissioner Patsy Keever — proposed that board members honor a pledge they made in 2001 to return to the way […]

A proposed “eco-friendly” north Asheville development has nearby residents worried that it won’t be neighborhood-friendly. Asheville developers Bill Fleming and Elana Kann want to build Wild Cherry Village, a 76-unit townhouse community, on 20 acres off Beaverdam Road. The two developers — co-owners of Neighborhood Design/Build — plan to employ many of the same design […]

“The vindication of the Cause” The Sons of Confederate Veterans, organized in Richmond, Va., in 1896, is a “patriotic, historical, civic and benevolent organization designed to preserve the history and legacy of Southern heroes, so future generations can understand the motives that animated the Southern cause,” according to Guide to Confederate Issues in North Carolina, […]

To many people, the Civil War probably seems remote from their everyday lives. But they haven’t ridden with Jim Holbrook in his black GMC pickup truck to get a look at the house where his great-granddaddy, a Confederate soldier, once lived. Holbrook Road (named for his family) runs parallel to the Smokey Park Highway on […]

A year-and-a-half ago, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners embraced the idea of having a private company build a golf course atop the former county landfill on Riverside Drive. But at the board’s Jan. 7 meeting, the commissioners unanimously voted to rescind the contract they signed with Fox Ridge Golf Properties and give the company […]

The utilitarian conference room at The Mediation Center in downtown Asheville may seem a less-than-inspiring setting. But within those functional confines, the seeds of understanding often sprout and take root between feuding neighbors, angry ex-business partners, exasperated family members and other local folks locked in conflict. Several blocks away, the cheerful, toy-filled interior of The […]

A simple, mundane commercial transaction in downtown Asheville got Paul Mareth thinking about how he could make a difference in the continuing, bitter struggle between Israelis and Palestinians. Mareth, a Jew, regularly walks from his Patton Avenue office to buy a snack or a soda down the street at the Asheville Discount Pharmacy, owned by […]

Facing the specter of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declaring Asheville and environs a “nonattainment” area in terms of meeting federal air-quality standards, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners has unanimously agreed to endorse a regional compact to avoid having the federal government impose a plan for reducing ozone pollution. At the board’s Dec. 17 […]

[Editor’s note: Over the past couple of years, spending cuts have become a way of life at both the state and local levels, largely due to the state budget crisis. But what are the effects of these cost-saving measures? In this first installment of a periodic series, Xpress considers the impact of one such cut.] […]

Members of the Buncombe County Planning Board agreed last week to split into two subgroups to devise proposals for a hillside-development ordinance and community-based planning districts. Most of the hourlong Dec. 2 meeting was devoted to granting developers’ requests for three variances and approving a revised request for a preliminary plat. On the policy end, […]

Western North Carolina’s air-quality problems are no secret. Nor are the effects of dirty air. But what do we do about them? Part of the solution, maintains the Asheville-based Western North Carolina Alliance, is encouraging people to ride the bus. At a Dec. 3 community meeting, the grassroots environmental group presented a twofold strategy. Besides […]

When Santa Pal headquarters opened on Dec. 2, volunteer Maria Hinckle was bowled over by the increased number of people seeking donated toys for their children. Santa Pal, a project of the Asheville Optimist Club, aims to provide new Christmas toys to children whose families can’t afford them, notes Hinckle, the program’s chairwoman. Given those […]

A pair of perennially touchy subjects — crafting regulations to govern development on steep slopes and letting county residents create their own zoning districts — dominated the Buncombe County Planning Board’s Nov. 18 meeting. The idea of regulating hillside development has been kicked around for at least a year, with the previous Planning Board considering […]

The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners deadlocked last week over whether to sue the state for withholding millions of dollars in reimbursements. At their Nov. 5 meeting, Chairman Nathan Ramsey and Commissioner David Gantt supported the politically dicey move, with Vice Chairman Bill Stanley and Commissioner David Young opposed. Commissioner Patsy Keever (who could have […]

Voters in the new 115th House District will enjoy no shortage of attention in the days leading up to the Nov. 5 election. The race pits three markedly different candidates in a battle that — at least in terms of funding — seems epic. Rep. Mark Crawford, a Republican, sounds deliberately vague when discussing his […]