Attendees at baseball games may pick up part of the tab for the McCormick Field improvements through a new 50-cent “facility fee” to be added to each ticket.

Attendees at baseball games may pick up part of the tab for the McCormick Field improvements through a new 50-cent “facility fee” to be added to each ticket.
Financing begins to come together to shore up McCormick Field in order to meet MLB standards.
Violent and disturbing incidents downtown are leaving workers frustrated and frightened. One business owner at an Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce listening session asked the assembled crowd, “How many people have to get assaulted?”
North Carolina can support as many as nine Las Vegas-style casinos with gambling throughout the state, including one in the Asheville area, according to a report commissioned by the General Assembly.
Asheville’s McCormick Field has been home to a minor league baseball team every season since 1959, but the city has come close to losing baseball several times in that span. As the Tourists seek $30 million in improvements to the antiquated ballpark, the future of the national pastime in Asheville once again is in doubt.
Community members weigh in on the impact of visitors and “progress” throughout 2022.
The event, hosted by Explore Asheville, featured presentations on the tensions between the cost and benefits of Asheville’s increased visitations.
On top of the $1.3 million Asheville paid to sponsor the U.S. Open tennis tournament, the public tourism board spent more than $70,000 in expenses that included catering and travel for their staff, board members and guests, nearly $25,000 on Asheville-branded beer coozies, and more than $1,000 on floral arrangements.
The U.S. Open winds to a close this weekend in New York, and among those attending in the luxury suites at the tennis Grand Slam event will be more than two dozen Buncombe County VIPs – courtesy of the public tourism board and $1.3 million in local tax money.
How does AVL compare with its regional peers on on-time performance and flight completion?
From occupancy tax allocations and hemp production to private bar membership, state legislators voted on several measures that are consequential to WNC in their recently concluded short session.
According to minutes from a March 17 meeting of the airport authority, work to be financed with the revenue bonds includes expansion and modernization of the terminal, construction of a central energy plant and a new air traffic control tower. While none of the debt will be the responsibility of Buncombe County taxpayers, the county Board of Commissioners must still approve the bond issue.
Negative sentiments regarding Asheville-area tourism appear to have ebbed since 2019, according to according to a new survey presented at the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority’s annual planning session March 25. While 65% of residents in 2019 believed that they couldn’t enjoy the city and its amenities because of visitors, only 45% said that they agreed with that viewpoint in 2022
To bring old buildings up to modern-day standards involves architectural assessments, electrical upgrades, plumbing revamps and structural repairs — challenges that many preservationists are now facing, and seeking to fund, as Asheville’s turn-of-the-century landmarks continue into their second hundred years.
Safety and reducing criminal activity downtown closely followed homelessness among the top concerns. Survey respondents were asked to evaluate downtown in terms of how safe they felt. The average score was 3.5 out of 5 for perceived safety during the daytime, dropping to 1.9 out of 5 at night.
The scenic roadway saw 15.9 million recreation visits in 2021, up from about 14 million in 2020; the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which also includes land in Western North Carolina, was in second place with over 14.1 million visits.
The bike taxi would be allowed to operate daily from 7 a.m.-3 a.m., serving streets with speed limits of 35 miles per hour or less.
When Tropical Depression Fred tore through Western North Carolina in August, among the casualties was the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s executive board has moved to close and demolish the facility, replacing it with an expansion to the adjacent Bobby N. Setzer Fish Hatchery.
With growth comes worsening traffic, rising housing costs and long lines of tourists waiting at locally beloved bars and restaurants. But it’s not all bad, as 2021’s Year In Review participants note in their reflections on Asheville’s development and tourism sector. These residents and local leaders shared their growth gripes and hopes as they look forward to the coming year.
With only Antanette Mosley opposed, Asheville City Council members voted Dec. 14 to approve the conversion of an East Asheville Ramada Inn into permanent supportive housing for at least 100 homeless residents — a project first floated to the public less than two weeks earlier.
After more than a year of lockdowns and hesitant restarts, the Madison County college town of Mars Hill is feeling the effects of shifting trends. “People have decided they want to have a less congested life but still have access to restaurants and shopping,” notes real estate agent Angela Morgan.