Asheville City Council will consider writing a check for an additional $6 million to get some elements of the River Arts District infrastructure project up and running. Construction bids came in over 50 percent higher than expected, forcing the city to cut elements from the planned improvements and dig deep into its pocketbook. Council meets at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 27 at City Hall.
Buncombe County will pledge $4.2 million toward the redevelopment of Lee Walker Heights and consider trying to completely run on renewable energy by 2027.
While many don’t seem to object to the Gideons’ handing out Bibles to graduating high school seniors outside the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Asheville, others say the practice is incompatible with policies that strive to keep education and religion separate.
Historic Grovewood Village, located on property adjacent to the Omni Grove Park Inn, celebrated the centennial of Biltmore Industries with a full day of tours, lectures and a cake cutting on June 17.
The film’s world premiere is set for Thursday, June 22, at Blue Ridge Community College. Subsequent screenings will take place at the Fine Arts Theatre on Thursday, June 29, and at White Horse Black Mountain on Friday, June 30.
In conjunction with the release of his new book, Grisham has taken to the road for the first time in 25 years, making appearances at independent bookstores from Vermont to Tennessee. Xpress caught up with the prolific author during his stop at Malaprop’s.
The Buncombe County Board of Adjustment approved all the projects on its agenda during its meeting on Wednesday, June 15. A proposed 221-unit apartment complex on Overlook Road was also officially postponed to next month’s meeting.
At its June 13 meeting, Asheville City Council adopted its 2017-18 fiscal year budget, which sets a property tax rate of 42.89 cents per $100 of taxable property value and includes funding for 15 new police officers to create a dedicated downtown police unit, as well as $630,000 for expanding the city’s transit system.
Asheville City Council will vote on the city’s 2017-18 budget for the fiscal year that will begin July 1. New pedestrian safety measures for Fairview Road, an affordable housing development on city-owned land and a strategy aimed at allowing Asheville residents to control the method used for electing representatives to City Council are also on the agenda for the Tuesday, June 13 meeting.
A conditional use permit hearing for a South Asheville apartment development originally set for next week has been pushed until July at the request of the developer.
A proposed form-based zoning code for the River Arts District passed its final hurdle before moving on to Asheville City Council for consideration. At a well-attended meeting of Asheville’s Planning & Zoning Commission on June 7, a 133-unit apartment complex on Lyman Street, a self-storage building on Gerber Road and a zoning change on Forsythe Street also got the commission’s nod.
Various tax credits and preservation easements offer financial benefits to owners of historic properties; advocates also tout broader benefits, such as job creation, the reduced environmental impacts of restoration versus demolition, and the intangible value of connecting the present with the past.
State Attorney General Josh Stein visited Asheville on June 6 to discuss the region’s efforts to combat the far-reaching effects of the opioid crisis. While not alone among North Carolina counties in dealing with drug abuse, overdoses and drug-related deaths, Buncombe County’s problem is significant, local representatives and Stein said.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners heard development frustrations from Ridgecrest and South Asheville residents ahead of approving measures to shift a sales tax and backtrack on a deal with Duke Energy.
Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the proposed budget, consider diverting the A-B Tech sales tax fund and discuss backing out of a deal with Duke Energy to conduct a solar farm feasibility study.
As a steady rain falls outside, Philip Caruso stands in the bedroom of his new apartment. “I don’t care [that it’s raining],” he says. “For the first time in decades, I’m not outside under a pine tree somewhere.” Caruso is a U.S. Marine veteran who saw combat in Beirut during the 1980s. His life was […]
A changing climate, aging infrastructure and rapid rates of development are contributing to a rising tide of stormwater problems in Asheville. But responsibility for stormwater infrastructure often rests with private property owners, complicating the process of planning and paying for fixes.
The Buncombe County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers offer up a chance to visit six private gardens via their biennial tour, the Hidden Gardens of Asheville. And the selection of secret gardens couldn’t be more varied, organizers share — all offering much more to see than just pretty perennials. The tour takes place on June 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
As commissioners considering funding projects with community grants, Xpress looks at the performance contracts used to monitor the process and finds commissioners aren’t adhering to suggested guidelines.
Buncombe County Manager Wanda Greene will retire from her position on July 1. She cites “times are changing and interests have shifted” as one reason why she is stepping down.
Despite gray skies and sporadic rain showers, a crowd of more than 200 gathered in Pack Square Park on May 29 to pay tribute to fallen veterans and local emergency responders. Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Chair Brownie Newman and representatives from different branches of the military, as well as local police and fire departments, presented a wreath to honor the fallen.