“Workforce housing” leaves most workers in the cold

An article in the Nov. 24 Mountain Xpress [“Not Ready for Prime Time”] mentioned affordable housing as “workforce” housing and described such jobs as police officers, nurses, teachers and other workers. According to the article, affordable housing was based on 30 percent of the workers’ annual household income. There were examples of pricing at the […]

Stealthy green

From the outside, it’s not obvious what’s so special about 372 Depot, a new mixed-use development in Asheville’s River Arts District. Sited on a former brownfield, the 90,000-square-foot brick structure seems like just another new building with street-level retail space and apartments above. In fact, this innovative project represents a number of significant firsts for […]

Asheville City Council Meeting: Live Twitter Coverage

Asheville City Council meets tonight at 5 p.m. on the second floor of City Hall — and our senior reporter, David Forbes, will be there in the front row bringing it to you live as it happens on the Twitter. Get all the latest goings-on by following @DavidForbes, by using the hashtag #avlgov, or by clicking through to the next page where you’ll see a live Twitter feed.

Proposed ordinance triggers fight over a sustainabl­e Asheville

A proposed ordinance that would allow considerably more density — and faster approval — for green, affordable development saw a reversal last week when the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted it down 3-2 and recommended a scaled-down version instead. The rules triggered a debate about exactly how Asheville will pursue the oft-touted goal of sustainability.

Buncombe Commission­ers

Commissioners approve $1.8 million for conservation easements Affordable-housing development wins initial approval At the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Oct. 7 meeting, the news wasn’t just what happened but what didn’t. The commissioners chose to delay action on three major items: the long-overdue appointment of new members to the powerful county Planning Board, a controversial […]

Asheville City Council

Quiet zones for trains not ready for prime time Glen Rock afforable-housing complex gets more loans Mentoring program seeks budget love It was branded both a last resort and a first step, but the Asheville City Council’s condemnation of Buncombe County’s sale of public parkland adjacent to City Hall nonetheless got the votes of all […]

Asheville City Council

“When we start criminalizing poverty, we’ve gone too far.” — Council member Terry Bellamy It’s been said that admirers of law and lovers of sausage should watch neither being made. And the March 23 formal session of the Asheville City Council might serve as a case in point. It was well past midnight when the […]