After years of city planning and public forums, another year of designing, sculpting and painting and a month-and-a-half of installation, Daydreamer, Asheville’s newest piece of public art, is finished. Asheville muralists Alex Irvine and Ian Wilkinson took down their scaffolding on Wednesday, Nov. 5, revealing the first unobstructed view of the new work. Daydreamer, formerly […]
Local development group Public Interest Projects is hoping to build 32 apartments and a new commercial space at 56 S. Lexington Avenue, a downtown property behind the Aloft Asheville Hotel.
On Friday night, the City of Asheville’s Public Art and Cultural Commission (PACC) will host a public comment and review session for three project proposals in order to determine which new piece of public art will be installed at the 51 Biltmore Ave. parking garage.
Bright colors and funny signs, reserved parking for hybrids, time will tell if the predictions of the need are met. The Aloft Hotel at night. (Photo by Bill Rhodes)
The new Aloft Hotel in downtown Asheville at 51 Biltmore Ave is nearing completion and Xpress recently took a behind-the-scenes tour.
It seems that everything wonderful about Asheville is under attack and being changed without the support — or even input — from the people who live here. Whatever forces are behind this seem determined to make the real Asheville just disappear. Want some examples? How did the scandalous, underhanded renaming of our Civic Center manage […]
Many complaints about the 51 Biltmore project said it was bad for the environment and sidewalks. Some said Pat Whalen and Public Interest Projects, Julian Price’s development firm, were “greedy developers.” As Julian’s widow, I’d like to add Julian’s perspective. Julian, an avid environmentalist, knew that sprawling development hurts people and the environment. In 1991, […]
As the owner of a small business and a tax-paying resident, I would like you to know that I do not support the way the city has gone about deciding how to prioritize the spending of our hard-earned tax dollars. Yes, I would like to see more parking, However, it seems that the city is […]
City agrees to sell Reid Center to Housing Authority Civic Center renovations planned A political battle that had been brewing for months came to a head at the Asheville City Council’s Jan. 25 meeting. At issue was the city's use of parking revenues to fund the 51 Biltmore project — a complex deal involving the […]
After two and a half hours of public debate and discussion on Jan. 25, Asheville City Council members gave the go-ahead for a parking-deck, hotel development at 51 Biltmore Ave. in downtown. The project passed 5-2, with Council members Cecil Bothwell and Gordon Smith voting against it.
Asheville City Council’s Jan. 25 meeting — beginning at 5 p.m. this afternoon — includes the controversial 51 Biltmore project. Follow live Twitter coverage of the meeting from Xpress Senior News Reporter David Forbes.
With Asheville City Council’s last meeting cancelled due to snow, its Jan. 25 session promises to be a marathon night. Front and center is the 51 Biltmore project, a proposed parking deck/hotel/retail development that’s become an extremely contentious issue.
Due to a “legal advertising error,” the city of Asheville has postponed all five public hearings scheduled for the Jan. 11 City Council meeting, including a vote on the controversial 51 Biltmore project. Four of the hearings are rescheduled for the Jan. 25 meeting, and one for the Feb. 8 meeting.
In dueling statements, the advocacy group People Advocating Real Conservancy and the developer Public Interest Projects have weighed in on the proposed 51 Biltmore project. PARC is calling it a “boondoggle — a misuse of public funds,” while PIP (which own the land), call PARC’s statements inaccurate and defend the development as necessary to improve downtown.
In limbo since 2008 due to a faltering economy, the 51 Biltmore project took a couple of steps forward at the Asheville City Council's Dec. 14 meeting. If the hotel/parking deck/retail development is approved, the target site — a large parking lot on Biltmore Avenue — could change dramatically. On a pair of 4-2 votes […]
On Tuesday, Dec. 14, Asheville City Council members held a short work session as well as a regular meeting (see below for a compilation of live dispatches from Xpress Senior News Reporter David Forbes). In one of several actions, Council moved one step closer to approving the hotel-and-parking-deck project proposed for 51 Biltmore Ave.
In its final meeting of the year tomorrow, Dec. 14, Asheville City Council will consider the 51 Biltmore project, including a hotel and parking deck. In addition to an update, Council will vote on leasing property for parking during the project’s construction and setting a public hearing on financing for early next year.
Having worked on the 51 Biltmore hotel/parking garage project for four years, I was surprised by Cecil Bothwell’s recent commentary (see “Parking in a Money Pit,” Sept. 1 Xpress). I don’t believe Bothwell’s claims fairly represent it. As president of Public Interest Projects, I went to bed on Aug. 31 worrying about money, our downtown […]
Do you believe Asheville needs more downtown parking? Chances are, you answered "Yes." That’s the widespread perception. But suppose we asked why you believe Asheville needs more downtown parking? You probably want more parking near some place you want to visit: a favorite store, restaurant or theater; a downtown bank or government office. Maybe you […]
Council adopts sustainability plan, delays both URTV appointment and 51 Biltmore purchase.
City jumps on board 51 Biltmore project Fireworks planned to gin up restaurant patronage Living wage not ready for prime time Police chief debriefs after Palin rally It’s hard to find a conversation these days that doesn’t somehow reflect the current national economic climate. The trend held true for the Asheville City Council’s Oct. 28 […]
