Ryan Cole, assistant emergency services director for Buncombe County, told the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Nov. 7 that conditions now remind him of what fueled the blaze that burned more than 7,000 acres in three weeks near the Buncombe-Henderson county line.
Over $40 million in upgrades could be coming to a number of schools in Asheville and Buncombe County if the request from the School Capital Fund Commission is approved at the Tuesday, Nov. 7, Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting.
The new amenity, which will be located at the intersection of Rankin Avenue and College Street, aims to offer residents, visitors and the unhoused a safe, clean place to go when nature calls.
Asheville City Council at its Oct. 24 meeting unanimously approved a zoning change required to upgrade McCormick Field. The modifications to the site’s zoning requirements at 30 Buchanan Place include allowances for the project to exceed height restrictions and bypass parking space requirements.
After 18 months of meetings and nearly $500,000 spent, Asheville’s reparations commission — tasked with making recommendations for restitution for generations of racial injustice — has now lost its second project manager in a year. Additionally, the commission is asking for more time to draft its final recommendations.
The plan aims to channel the growth and development of the area, located south of the downtown core and its surrounding neighborhoods, including South French Broad, East End Valley Street and Oakhurst.
Across eight serious crime categories reported to the State Bureau of Investigation, Miller reported a 15% decrease from 2021 to 2022 and a 2% decrease from the previous 10-year low, in 2019.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will consider taking the lead to solicit a new study analyzing the feasibility of merging Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools at its meeting Tuesday, Oct. 17.
In March, the Asheville Police Department reported a nearly 20% increase in violent crime between 2021 and 2022. This, along with numerous instances of repeat offenders committing more crimes while out on bail has led some people to question the effectiveness of the judicial system in Asheville.
After nearly two hours of public comments and somewhat fervent discussions between council members, the council approved the College Patton Complete Streets project, 4-3, with council members Antanette Mosley, Sheneika Smith and Vice Mayor Sandra Kilgore opposed.
Asheville City Council is slated to vote on the Complete Streets project at its Tuesday, Oct. 10 meeting. If adopted, the resolution would authorize the city manager to move forward with the project, bringing buffered bike lanes to two major downtown roads.
Two microapartments developments, with individual housing units averaging about 250 to 350 square feet, have been approved for nearly $2.5 million of Land Use Incentive Grant funding. The developments have sparked debate among city officials and residents over whether microhousing is truly a solution to the affordable housing crisis.
City of Asheville The public will be able to provide input on two zoning map amendments at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4, which will be in person at City Hall’s first-floor North Conference Room at 70 Court Plaza. A meeting of the same body to review the agenda, […]
A year and a half ago, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved a nearly $221,000 contract with the UNC School of Government’s Development Finance Initiative for an affordable housing development study. On Tuesday, Oct. 3, commissioners will receive an update on the development plan.
Mike Holcombe, water director from 1993-97, remains adamant that the city is downplaying what he says is the major cause — the decommissioned East Asheville Booster Pump Station.
“People just don’t know what they can or cannot do,” says Keith Aitken, the city’s new urban forester. “We want to create a document or education program for people who move into steep slopes because I want people to come to me when they have a tree removal rather than doing it under the radar.”
Project Aspire, a vast mixed-use, mixed-income development set to reshape the city’s skyline, received the green light from the Asheville City Council at its Sept. 27 meeting. After nearly two hours of public comments featuring 37 speakers and discussions between council members and the developer, the council approved the rezoning for the project with a 5-2 vote, with council members Antanette Mosley and Kim Roney opposed.
As work wraps up from $74 million in bonds that voters approved in 2016, the Asheville City Council is considering putting another slate of bonds before voters next year. While no specific dates have been mentioned, it is anticipated that the proposed 2024 bonds will come before council for approval sometime this fall.
After months of planning and community engagement forums, Asheville City Council is set to vote on the renovation plans for Pack Square Plaza at its Tuesday, Sept. 26 meeting. The plan has 10 main areas of focus, including creating new spaces for civic engagement and expression, repositioning the elevated lawn and redesigning South Market Street as an active cultural corridor to The Block.
“It’s a cynical and shameful ploy to deny you the ability to serve your constituents. It’s anti-democratic, and I look forward to working together with you to reject this encroachment on our rights to protect our health and the health of our mountains, rivers and streams,” Karim Olaechea, deputy director of strategy and communications for MountainTrue told commissioners during public comment.
The N.C. Supreme Court ruled recently that Senate Bill 824, a voter ID law originally passed in 2018 by the Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly, is constitutional, meaning photo identification will be required for the upcoming municipal elections in Woodfin and Weaverville
