Asheville Trader Joe’s won’t need Council approval

Since news broke last week that Trader Joe’s is coming to Merrimon Avenue, reactions have ranged from enthusiastic support to criticism over its location. But there won’t be any showdown in the halls of government: Due to city rules, the grocery chain’s proposed location won’t go before Asheville City Council or the Planning and Zoning Commission for a vote.

Moving pictures

June 26 meeting Ingles sign variance voted down Tobacco sponsorships banned from future festivals Staff studies aren't usually particularly controversial. But a proposed traffic-engineering study for the Charlotte Street corridor got some pushback at the Asheville City Council’s June 26 meeting. Some area residents said the $50,000 study is an unnecessary expense — and the […]

No river people!

First it was the retirees, then Rolling Stone encouraged more freaks to come, then we voted ourselves Beer City USA. Asheville is always making it to some new list of best places for whatever it is people like to do. Now comes the vote (again, we get to do this to, uh, for ourselves) to […]

The path ahead: County greenways plan faces major hurdles

After years of planning and public meetings, Buncombe County is poised to release a comprehensive proposal for an extensive greenway system linking towns, parks, schools and other key sites. Bolstered by recent successes in the city of Asheville, and by growing support for transportation alternatives, advocates are eager for the plan to be released (it’s […]

Holding steady

Buncombe County Board of Commissioners June 5, 2012 meeting Commissioner candidates slam budget Waste Pro gets 4 percent rate increase Although a public hearing on the budget was on the June 5 agenda, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners didn't wait for residents to weigh in before diving into some of its most rancorous issues. […]

Squeezed

At a sometimes tense June 5 budget work session, Asheville City Council members failed to reach consensus on what size raise to give city employees. In their last formal meeting on May 22, Council members had responded sympathetically to demands by police and firefighters for more than the 1 percent cost-of-living increase in the proposed […]

Box cutter

At a June 6 meeting with local newspaper representatives, Downtown Commission members and Asheville city planners presented ideas for restricting the height, placement and configuration of newspaper boxes. The commission hopes to assess the feasibility of the voluntary rules over the next 45 days, gathering data before finalizing the proposal. Two days later, the full […]

Who’s improving whom?

About 40 people gathered in Pack Memorial Library’s Lord Auditorium for a June 5 forum on the proposed business improvement district for downtown Asheville. The event was organized by StopAVLBID, and many in attendance opposed the idea. The group describes itself as a coalition that “includes activists working within the Occupy movement, local cooperatives, community […]

Budget wrangling: Asheville property tax hike no longer taboo among Council members

For years, even in the midst of city budget shortfalls, one measure has stayed off the table: a property tax hike. But on May 22, several Council members voted for an increase that would have funded a pay raise for Asheville firefighters and police; the proposal failed by a single vote. The raise and tax increase remain under serious consideration as the city tries to resolve its budget concerns in a special work session Tuesday, June 5.