City Council unanimous against Parkside land deal

At its Tuesday night meeting, Asheville City council voted 7-0 in support of a resolution objecting to the 2006 sale of park land to developer Stewart Coleman by Buncombe County.

The 2006 sale of the .18-acre chunk of City/County Plaza near Asheville City Hall has become one of the main rallying points for opposition to the project. Council was originally scheduled to consider a conditional-use permit on Coleman’s Parkside project, but a last-minute design change reduced the building from 11 stories to nine, thereby circumventing city-council review.

Though the resolution is not legally binding, council members hope it will send a message that county commissioners were remiss in selling the property.

Activists opposing the development hailed the move. “I do applaud you for your resolution tonight,” said Dixie Deerman. “I’ve talked to a lot of people who have never seen a council rise up in this way.”

Council member Brownie Newman called the resolution a first step, indicating that council may explore further plans to challenge the land deal.

On June 24, Buncombe County Commissioners will take up the Parkside issue and explore options for moving forward.

Click here to download a PDF of the resolution. Click here to see an Xpress Files timeline of events and related documents.

Brian Postelle, staff writer

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

2 thoughts on “City Council unanimous against Parkside land deal

  1. Barry Summers

    This is an important first step, but it will not guarantee anything. Mr. Coleman and the people at the County that helped him to this land will not slink away quietly, is my guess. I hope Council will consider further action. They have other options. If they leave it at this, and don’t at least hint that they’re willing to take it to the next level, Coleman and the County can ignore them and plop this building inside the park, right on their doorstep. We need them to know we are watching everything they are doing, and we expect them to end this.

  2. William P Miller

    Thank goodness for this Council good vote. Now, people, DO NOT re-elect any of the Buncombe County Commissioners who voted FOR this sale. Particularly Stanley and Peterson. Vote them out!

Leave a Reply to Barry Summers ×

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.