Asheville City Council

“We’re at the edge of that point where this becomes a reality.”

– Council member Jan Davis on marketing city property

It was a dark and stormy night … really. A sudden snowstorm Jan. 9 left downtown Asheville’s streets empty, but inside City Hall, Council pressed forward with its scheduled formal session. (Due to a New Year’s resolution of sorts, all three monthly Council meetings will now be formal sessions — work sessions have been phased out as redundant.)

With many city residents ducking for cover from the blustery wind and snow, few members of the public were in attendance, and City Manager Gary Jackson gave regular weather updates. Undeterred, Council members devoted much of their first meeting of the year to considering the future of several long-term initiatives.

County’s got a brand new deck

Buncombe County will build a new seven-story, 650-space parking deck adjacent to the Health Center and the county courthouse. Council members approved a conditional-use permit for the substantial structure, and several had kind words for the new deck, which will free up currently used surface lots for public parking or other uses.

“I think the plan is really well-thought-out,” said Vice Mayor Holly Jones. “I’m grateful to y’all for coming forward with this.”

Assistant County Manager Jon Creighton told Council that the deck will make things easier for county employees, who often must be shuttled to work from outlying surface lots. Although most of the spaces will be earmarked for county employees, some will be available for public use.

“I feel like the deck is not only a positive for us, but for y’all and the general public,” said Creighton.

Designed by local architect Keith Hargrove, the deck will be built on the surface parking lot behind the Health Center on College Street. The plan includes a number of environmentally sensitive amenities: storm-water controls, steps to reduce light pollution, and perhaps a rooftop solar power station. Construction is expected to begin this summer and to take about a year, reported Creighton.

It’s no secret that Asheville and Buncombe County haven’t always seen eye to eye, and the ongoing water dispute has further strained an already contentious city/county relationship. But Mayor Terry Bellamy praised both Council and the county for finding something they can work together on for mutual benefit.

Hired help

Council members cautiously took the next step in assessing the development potential of various city-owned parcels, but not without some doubts. In December, at Council’s request, staff compiled a list of properties that could conceivably be put to other uses. But when staff proposed hiring a consultant to develop a plan for the sites — a significant change from what had been previously discussed in Council — some Council members hesitated.

Economic Development Director Sam Powers proposed that Asheville hire Real Estate Research Consultants, an Orlando, Fla.-based firm that would help the city determine the properties’ best uses and come up with a marketing plan. The consultants would also manage the city’s request for qualifications, the process by which developers show interest in one or more of those properties. The first step, formalizing an RFQ strategy, would take the rest of January; marketing and advertising would begin in February, Powers explained.

But the ball seemed to be rolling too fast for comfort as the Mayor and several Council members aired anxieties about the handling of the project. Visions for development remain vague at this point, and some on Council feared they might forfeit some control if the project were handed over to an outside firm. “If we proceed with this, we need to be really mindful,” cautioned Council member Robin Cape.

Also, argued Bellamy, a consultant involved in only a few stages of the process would not have the same understanding of what Council wants as city staff would. “We have to have someone who is accountable consistently throughout the whole process,” she emphasized.

Jackson, however, stressed that no one on city staff has the marketing experience and connections with developers that a consultant would bring to the table.

“This would be your interface with the development community,” he said. “What you are buying is a level of expertise that we don’t have.”

Council member Jan Davis urged his colleagues to move forward, noting that the process is still in its early stages. “We’re at the edge of that point where this becomes a reality,” he said.

The contract would cost the city $55,000 plus expenses (estimated at another $50,000), reported Powers. But if even one piece of property found the right developer, he maintained, the returns to the city would more than justify the expense.

Council member Carl Mumpower predicted that Council’s underlying motives — particularly the desire to encourage the construction of additional affordable housing in the city — would put too heavy a hand on potential developers. “I think developers will run in the opposite direction,” he said.

The resolution passed 5-1 with Mumpower opposed. (Council member Bryan Freeborn was absent.)

Buy me a river

Asheville has cleared the way for Hendersonville to become the city’s newest wholesale water customer. Black Mountain, Woodfin and Biltmore Forest already buy water from Asheville. At press time, the Hendersonville City Council was scheduled to finalize its approval of the contract at its Jan. 12 meeting.

Under the agreement, Hendersonville will purchase 1 million gallons a day from the Mills River Water Treatment Plant at a rate of 81 cents per 100 cubic feet (or 748 gallons), making Hendersonville Asheville’s biggest water customer, noted Water Resources Director David Hanks. The deal should bring $395,000 a year into city coffers, which Hanks said would offset the continuing loss of industrial customers.

With Asheville’s long-running water dispute still tied up in litigation (see “Asheville, Not Beiruit” July 26 Xpress), Bellamy was quick to emphasize the difference between this contract and the highly problematical Water Agreement, which expired June 30, 2005. “This is just straight selling water,” she explained.

But Mumpower cited the city’s unresolved lawsuit against the state as reason to hold off on making further arrangements, arguing, “We’re locking ourselves in when we don’t have any idea about our legal outcome.”

Bellamy, however, said the move could demonstrate that Asheville is a good steward of its water resources. “It’s important to show the Legislature that this Council is working really hard to overcome any negative obstacles out there,” she said.

And City Attorney Bob Oast noted that Asheville can dissolve the water contract with 180 days notice.

Other business

Council held off on a final reading of an ordinance that would designate the St. Dunstan’s neighborhood, just north of Biltmore Village, as a historic-overlay district. A second reading was required because Council’s initial approval, on Nov. 28, was by an insufficient margin. Council member Brownie Newman has argued against the designation in the past, saying that it would limit property owners’ ability to make renovations to increase energy efficiency. Mumpower, meanwhile, objected to adding another level of bureaucracy that he feels isn’t needed to preserve the neighborhood’s historic character. Freeborn’s absence was another consideration, and the postponement was approved 5-1, with Jones opposed.