Life in Asheville seems to slow down in the midst of a cold, wet winter, but the demands of the city keep on coming. In the absence of hot-button votes or controversial public hearings, Asheville City Council will consider a full slate of items on its consent agenda for Tuesday, Feb. 11: a work session on hotel development, managing airport parking, providing free bus fare for board and commission members and more.
Council’s consent agenda for the meeting contains 11 items, which will be approved as a package unless singled out for separate discussion. Highlights include:
- A resolution setting a work session on hotel development standards for 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25. The work session follows a Jan. 30 public meeting in which members of the Charlotte-based Urban Land Institute provided recommendations to guide the city’s development of new hotel policies. If approved, the work session will take place in Council chambers on the second floor of City Hall.
- A resolution authorizing the issuance of 238 free annual bus passes to members of city boards and commissions. The potential loss of revenue is $52,360, although the city expects that not every member will request a pass.
- An ordinance enabling the city to manage parking citations at the Asheville Regional Airport. The city stands to earn $16.50 per ticket issued for assuming the service; no estimate of annual citations at the airport was provided.
- A resolution urging congressional passage of the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, which would impose a fee on the carbon content of fuels that emit greenhouse gases. The city’s recently passed climate emergency declaration calls for Asheville officials to support legislation “that would initiate a national emergency-speed mobilization to reverse global warming and the ecological crisis.”
A resolution to set a public hearing for Tuesday, Feb. 25, to consider an agreement between Asheville and Fletcher for the voluntary annexation of a 2-acre property located near the Asheville Regional Airport. If approved, the resolution would only prevent Fletcher from annexing the property, which will be developed into a Holiday Inn and Suites and is situated closer to Fletcher’s city limits than Asheville’s, for 20 years. Annexation into Asheville would require an additional public hearing and a rezoning process.
In other news
A representative from the Neighborhood Advisory Committee will provide a presentation on recent issues forums about traffic and the city’s noise ordinance, along with the group’s future goals and initiatives. City Manager Debra Campbell will also provide a report on the city’s equity initiatives, although no information on the presentation was provided ahead of the meeting.
Asheville City Council meets at 5 p.m. in Council chambers on the second floor of City Hall at 70 Court Plaza, Asheville. The full meeting agenda and supporting documents can be found here.
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