Council to discuss temporary hotel ban The city’s Planning and Economic Development Committee voted on Aug. 29 to put the question of imposing a temporary moratorium on new hotel construction to the full Council at an upcoming meeting. First proposed by Council member Julie Mayfield, a moratorium could give the city time to develop new […]
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
The target audience for a new $11.5 million marketing campaign developed by Atlanta-based ad agency 360i includes 20 million more people than were reached by last year’s advertising for Asheville. New cities where ads will be shown include New York, Chicago, Birmingham and Columbus, Ohio.
Potentially without review by other county staff members or commissioners, former County Manager Wanda Greene cut Stacey Woody’s pay by nearly $16,000 after Woody questioned an allegedly illegal $125,000 invoice for sponsorship of the Tryon International Equestrian Center. The relevant section of Buncombe’s personnel ordinance still stands, giving the same power to current County Manager Avril Pinder.
Seven Asheville area businesses made the annual Inc. 5000 list, a national ranking of the fastest growing privately-owned small businesses.
Asheville’s Planning and Zoning Commission recommended to deny conditional zoning for Jettie Rae’s, a seafood restaurant proposed along the French Broad River. Asheville City Council will make the final decision on whether the project will receive approval.
“We recognize that the impacts of tourism are creating some experiences in our community that residents don’t like, and there are feelings that we’re being overwhelmed by tourism,” said Stephanie Brown, president and CEO of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, in a Sept. 3 presentation to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners.
Canadian sustainable building expert Chris Magwood will offer three workshops featuring hempcrete at A-B Tech Friday-Sunday, Sept. 6-8. The series is part of seven learning opportunities taking place at A-B Tech and Lenoir-Rhyne University through Wednesday, Dec. 11.
In 1894, Labor Day was officially recognized as a federal holiday. Three years later, Asheville hosed its inaugural Labor Day celebration. The event featured a series of activities, including bicycle runs, foot races and a game of tug-of-war.
Asheville Sister Cities won an international award for its programming, while over 500 volunteers pitched in to spruce up 22 Henderson County schools during United Way of Henderson County’s Aug. 16 Day of Action.
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
The proposed Wild and Scenic River designation would require the U.S. Forest Service to develop a specific watershed management plan for a half-mile corridor along about 7 miles of the Nolichucky River running through the Nolichucky Gorge from Poplar, N.C., to Chestoa, Tenn. The move would also permanently prohibit federal support for dam building and other actions that could change the river’s flow.
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
Under the new rules, proposed by Board of Commissioners Chair Brownie Newman, members of the public would no longer be permitted to comment on each of the board’s motions individually. Instead, all public input would be lumped into a single general comment period, moved to the start of the meeting from its current position at the end.
Calling former County Manager Wanda Greene’s activities a “tragic waste on a personal level” with “horrific consequences for the county of Buncombe,” U.S. District Judge Robert Conrad sentenced her to 7 years in federal prison and ordered her to pay a $100,000 fine. Co-conspirators Michael Greene, Mandy Stone, Jon Creighton and Joseph Wiseman, Jr., all received active prison time, a year of supervised release and a financial penalty.
Leadership Asheville pulled in some high-octane local speakers for the final installment of its summer Buzz Breakfast series held on Aug. 14. The composition of the panel reveals some key trends shaping the power dynamic that’s emerged over the past year.
Asheville City Council deferred a vote on an amendment that would have revised the definition of a kitchen for short-term rentals out of concern that the change would have led to negative impacts on Asheville’s long-term housing availability.
Asheville’s current short-term rental rules do not allow homestays to offer rooms that contain either a stove, a full-sized refrigerator or a kitchen sink. A new definition of “kitchen,” proposed by local host organization the Homestay Network, would still forbid stoves in homestay dwellings but allow sinks and refrigerators.
n 1874, Zebulon Vance stood before the House of Representatives arguing against a bill that would outlaw racial discrimination in juries, schools, transportation and public accommodations. “Let the people of the South alone, sir, and this thing will adjust itself,” Vance proclaimed.
Selections from 30 breweries, plus four canned Bhramari collaborations with notable peers, will be available Aug. 31.
ASHEVILLE, N.C.