From tiny homes to multifamily development — if a zoning tool can address Asheville’s housing shortage by promoting more infill development in residential areas, Asheville’s City Council is all for it. City planning staff got the go-ahead to draft new zoning amendments to encourage and remove barriers to infill development.
On Tuesday, Feb. 23, City Council will consider strategies for housing the city’s growing population. Over $1 million in low-interest affordable housing loans will come to a Council vote, and city planning director Todd Okolichany will present a proposal for updating existing ordinances to encourage higher density infill development in residential areas.
PRESS RELEASE: Exposing Duke Energy’s Fiction: Actual Growth Rate is Three Times Lower than Estimates Used to Argue for New Plants over the Years At Monday meeting, groups and public will press faith-filled regulators not to rubber-stamp unneeded Asheville plant that would speed climate change and gouge customers Statement by Director Jim Warren: Durham, NC – NC […]
A fast track approval process created specifically for Duke Energy’s proposal to replace coal-fired generators at its Lake Julian plant with natural gas-fired units speeds toward a Feb. 29 deadline. Environmental advocates and citizens are moving quickly to weigh in on Duke’s plans.
From a Girls on the Run of WNC press release: In an effort to make the Girls on the Run (3rd-5th grade) and Heart and Sole (6th-8th grade) programs more accessible, Girls on the Run of WNC is hosting four community teams in Buncombe and Henderson Counties. The community teams are available to all grade eligible girls, regardless fitness level, ability or […]
From a press release from HempX Asheville: HempX Asheville is pleased to announce “Halfway to HempX,” an educational event featuring Colorado’s Hemp Road Trip Bus and hemp farming expert Mike Lewis. Halfway to HempX will take place at New Mountain AVL beginning at 3 p.m. on Thursday, February 18th. In October 2015, The North Carolina […]
From a press release from Mountain Brook Vineyards: Mountain Brook Vineyards has earned two medals for its wines at the 2016 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, considered the largest competition of American wines in the world. The Competition saw a record 7,162 entries this year from 28 states. The event lasted four days, with a […]
In her 2015 book The Rise of Asheville: An Exceptional History of Community Building, author Marilyn Ball looks at an often-ignored historical period: the recent past.
86-year-old Reba Miller Bowser went to the Patton Avenue DMV office on Monday to get a photo ID so that she could vote in North Carolina’s March 15 primary. Though she had all the documents listed on the DMV’s list of required identification, the lifelong voter nonetheless left empty-handed. State DMV officials now say Bowser should not have been turned down, and have arranged for a mobile unit to visit her home on Friday.
From the City of Asheville: The City of Asheville is wrapping up planning to improve Livingston Street and a portion of Depot Street to make them safer and more comfortable for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users. Based on input from the community at meetings in September, the engineers have made revisions to their preliminary plans, […]
The Asheville Police Department trails the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office in rolling out police body cameras — but the city is trying to catch up. Police Chief Tammy Hooper outlined a draft policy for the cameras at a recent panel discussion, and says the first cameras will be deployed by summer. We look into what needs to happen between now and then to make that schedule happen.
From a RiverLink press release: Join RiverLink for the February 2016 RiverFront Bus Tour Asheville — The RiverLink Bus Tour offers answers about Asheville’s past, present and future: What is the Wilma Dykeman RiverWay Plan and what does it hold for Asheville’s future? How did the Flood of 1916 change the river area landscape? The […]
Public relations firm Frederick & Associates has requested the public’s assistance in locating Haywood County missing person Scott Turner. The firm represents Turner’s family. Turner went missing around 11 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 8. He was last seen driving a 1987 black Toyota pickup truck in Haywood County. Anyone with information about Turner’s whereabouts should […]
Hendersonville once again ranked best place to retire in North Carolina by Smart Asset.
From Mars Hill University press release: North Carolina senators Tom Apodaca and Terry Van Duyn will present a lecture titled “How Can Civility in Politics Be Recreated?” on Thursday evening March 3, at 7 p.m. in Broyhill Chapel at Mars Hill University. Senator Tom Apodaca is a Republican senator who represents the 48th district of North Carolina in the NC General Assembly […]
One clear winner from the 2015 City Council elections: local hopes for a public space for the city-owned lots facing the Basilica of St. Lawrence and the U.S. Cellular Center. Not so clear: exactly what kind of space Asheville needs and who will pay for it. The city’s Planning and Economic Development committee took up the hot potato issue to try to figure out how to move forward.
Peak energy demand will determine the capacity of Duke Energy’s planned upgrades at the company’s Lake Julian power plant, according to speakers at a panel discussion on WNC’s future energy needs on Feb. 3. Speakers stressed the importance of partnerships between Duke Energy, local government and community partners to reduce demand and delay or eliminate a third new natural gas-fired generation unit planned for the Lake Julian site.
At a Southside neighborhood meeting on Monday, Feb. 1, Parks & Recreation director Roderick Simmons said his department has no plans to close the Walton Street Park and Pool at 570 Oakland Rd.
Asheville City Clerk Maggie Burleson announced that the Asheville City Council meeting scheduled for Feb. 9, 2016 has been canceled. Two other meetings planned for the same day, the Governance Committee and the Boards & Commissions Committee, will also be canceled. The next regular meeting of Asheville City Council will be Feb. 23 at 5 […]
French Broad Co-op extends deadline for proposals related to its planned expansion to June 1, 2016.
Asheville City Council members huddled for a two-day retreat and planning session on Jan. 29 and 30, drafting a strategic vision for the community and a list of shared policy priorities.
