More than two years in the making, partner agencies celebrated the C3356 Comprehensive Care Center’s official opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the evening of April 21.
Making local tourism sustainable
What does a catchphrase like “sustainable tourism” mean here in Western North Carolina? How do you make it work at the ground level? Local businesses, organizations and public officials weigh in on what such a model might look like in the region.
George Masa and the birth of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
“These efforts really are about protecting places for all Americans and for future generations,” notes Brent Martin of The Wilderness Society. The leaders of the national parks movement, he maintains, “all saw a much bigger picture, not only for all human beings, but for all living things.”
WNC Rail Corridor Committee hatches new strategy
For more than 20 years, the WNC Rail Corridor Committee has worked tirelessly to prove the economic viability of restoring the historic rail link between Salisbury and Asheville. With changes in the rail industry looming and younger travelers showing increased interest in train travel, the committee is partnering with towns and municipalities and freight rail companies to pursue a new, three-pronged strategy.
The tiny houses are coming!
You’ve seen them popping up everywhere, tiny homes the size of your mom’s garden shed. Maybe you’ve seen them on a trailer in a parking lot, in transit. Or perhaps your neighbor just put one in his backyard and is renting it out on airbnb.com. It seems like everyone is talking about tiny homes, from […]
Chemtronics: From chemical weapons to conservation easement
Decades after the furor over a Swannanoa weapons plant introduced many residents to the term “Superfund site,” the focus is shifting toward potential future uses for a portion of the Chemtronics property.
Local read: The Rise of Asheville by Marilyn Ball
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.
Local businesses drive Asheville vibe
Walk any downtown Asheville street and you’re likely to encounter some quirky storefronts offering unusual products. Together, these “specialty shops” or boutiques, most of them locally owned businesses, are a key component of the city’s distinctive flavor, attracting thousands of tourists each year and helping fuel the economy.
Despite city commitment, not much edible landscaping in Asheville
Although Asheville City Council approved a 14-point Food Action Plan three years ago that included a goal of implementing underutilized city-owned land for agricultural purposes, to date little headway has been made in that area.
Transportation activist group aims to extend evening ART service
At a rally on Tuesday, Jan. 26, the group People’s Voice on Transportation Equality revealed the results of two surveys. Both surveys showed that the top priority of transit users is an extension of bus service into evening hours. Business owners surveyed also supported an extension, saying it would bring them more customers.
Gimme shelter: In wake of 10-year plan to end homelessness, local agencies regroup
Although chronic homelessness has been curtailed substantially since 2005, the combination of a severe economic downturn, an acute shortage of affordable housing and the rising cost of living has hindered the overall progress in eradicating homelessness. Despite those setbacks, partners in the project are forging ahead with new initiatives to combat housing insecurity and ensure that those in need of shelter get it.
Asheville in Motion (AIM) aims to offer a transportation plan for everyone
The future of getting around the city via foot, bicycle, private vehicle or mass transit took another step forward in the form of the final-draft presentation of Asheville in Motion (AIM), a comprehensive study and information-gathering endeavor that the city can use to shape its transportation priorities over the horizon. “This wasn’t about creating yet another plan. […]
Home, sweet home: Mountain Housing Opportunities celebrates The Villas at Fallen Spruce Apartments
In its latest efforts to increase the availability of affordable housing, the nonprofit organization Mountain Housing Opportunities hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony and gift registry drive Thursday evening at its brand new apartment complex, The Villas at Fallen Spruce Apartments, just off New Leicester Highway. MHO staff, partner organizations, sponsors, local and state government officials were […]
Of time and the city: Issues facing Asheville in Wolfe’s youth mirror today’s concerns
Asheville and environs have seen considerable change in the 77 years since Wolfe’s death, yet many of the aspects he wrote (and sometimes fumed) about seem uncannily familiar. And as current residents ponder the challenges the city faces today, a look at several of the celebrated author’s key themes might prove instructive.
It takes a village: French Broad Food Co-op announces expansion proposals
The iconic community-owned food market and grocer has announced initial plans to expand its current space on the 60-100 block of Biltmore Avenue and is reaching out to community organizations and the city of Asheville to begin discussions on the possibility of a massive multiuse facility.
AVL Design Center’s DesignBuild Studio rolls out the U-LEAF Stage
When the first-ever LEAF Downtown festival took place on Aug. 1 and 2 in Pack Square Park, it wasn’t just the festival’s new location that was making its debut: This year, the organization was able to unveil its all-new U-LEAF stage — a mobile art stage recently completed by AVL DesignBuild Studio, a summer internship […]
Is Hominy Creek Greenway going to the dogs?
Residents using Hominy Creek Greenway in recent weeks may have noticed the sudden disappearance of two herds of goats, which had been put to work clearing invasive species such as Japanese Knotwood. The absence of the hardy herbivores is the result of a June 28 attack on one of the animals by an unrestrained dog and raises questions about the proper use of public spaces.
Sustainable sprawl: The search for greener growth in rural areas
As more and more people move to the Asheville area, the need for housing is facilitating larger-scale development in traditionally small, isolated and rural communities. But how to approach that development sustainably isn’t always easy to figure out or agree upon.
Public meeting will kick off plans to bring form-based codes to the RAD
The City of Asheville will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, June 17, to discuss the process of adapting form-based codes in the River Arts District.
Weaverville residents voice concerns about subdivision development
The Buncombe County Planning Board initially approved the plans for the Maple Trace subdivision in November 2014. At that time, the design called for 140 household units to be built in a rural Weaverville community with traffic directed through two exists. However, revisions to the plan have residents concerned that poor visibility and high traffic may result in dangerous driving conditions.
Soaring ideals: Rethinking Asheville’s Vance Monument
“I urge all those attending the June 6 rededication to see it as the time to reconsider this person and time period, in part, as cultural artifacts. Rather than focusing only on honor and glory, I implore speakers and audience members alike to face history’s shadow side, and our own, to address this complex story in a way that embraces all the impacts.”