In reference to Cecil Bothwell’s article [“No Change: City Still Ignoring UDO Violations,” Aug. 29], the author writes that the case of the Staples signage “violated the city’s Unified Development Ordinance.” Frankly, it isn’t the sign’s fault.
Since no one is taking the blame, I say it should be handed to the folks who designed this eyesore and those who paid to build it. The building has no charm or style [and] no historical reference to the buildings that surround it, [it] features fake stenciled-on brick siding and defies the natural shape of the hill on which it’s situated. It is a failure. City Council must also recognize it sold out in allowing this building to dominate the Merrimon Avenue neighborhood, neglect[ing] the wishes of the people it serves by destroying the local flavor on which Asheville thrives.
— Bobby McHugh
Founder, Old School DesignBuild, LLC
Black Mountain
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