The Asheville City Council will hold a public hearing at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14, and consider a contract to launch the services in the BID, which received final approval in June.

The Asheville City Council will hold a public hearing at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14, and consider a contract to launch the services in the BID, which received final approval in June.
Opponents say downtown plan will further marginalize the unhoused population and duplicate services city should be providing.
Safety and hospitality ambassadors for a downtown Asheville business improvement district would be perceived as a welcome addition by some — additional “eyes and ears” on the street. But others aren’t sure that such a program is a priority.
Among those who are skeptical, the point of contention is whether a business improvement district overburdens downtown taxpayers for basic services that should be provided by the City of Asheville and Buncombe County.
When Kit Cramer arrived at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce as president and CEO in 2010, Asheville’s downtown was the subject of much complaining about panhandling, trash and graffiti.
Fourteen years later, Asheville’s downtown is the subject of much complaining about panhandling, trash and graffiti. And the community is once again considering a BID.
More than 200 river rats, advocates, conservationists and economic stakeholders from a seven-county region filled Ferguson Auditorium to celebrate their successes and discuss ways to continue cleaning up one of the world’s oldest water ways to maximize its environmental and economic sway.
“It’s going to take a historic effort to close the gaps in housing supply that are close to the places where people work, shop and entertain themselves and where there may also be options for walking, biking or taking mass transit.”
According to a statement from the company, Moog plans to continue to be headquartered in Asheville, where it will continue to design, engineer, service and manufacture instruments, although a selection of instruments will be produced by “trusted partners.”
With N.C. Republicans in the supermajority, lawmakers from Western North Carolina predict a wave of controversial bills to make their way through the legislature.
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?”
“In our letter, we listed the following nine principles we have formulated for local land use devoted to economic development in Western North Carolina.”
On heels of a 2021 study that showed the power of the French Broad River as an economic driver, the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce convened a panel to discuss the importance of keeping that engine clean.
The local business group’s annual event usually features WNC’s General Assembly delegation and its reflections on happenings in Raleigh. This year, the entirety of Buncombe County’s incoming state House contingent was absent: As newly elected officials, Eric Ager, Lindsey Prather and Caleb Rudow were taking part in orientation at the capitol.
“By expanding the blitz to four counties and making a game of it, we hope to be able to engage more people and find more species,” said MountainTrue Public Lands Biologist Josh Kelly. “We might even find some that have never been recorded in our region.”
“Wilma Dykeman’s shadow covered all of us and inspired us to speak out and support citizens who were becoming more and more concerned about water quality, air quality, land use, land conservation, forest management, etc., in our mountain area.”
Asheville’s omission from a recent Best Music Cities study prompts questions from local industry leaders.
Community members reflect on the life and legacy of Karen Cragnolin, a dedicated champion of the French Broad River and its possibilities.
Billed as a wrap-up of a busy year for WNC’s state legislative delegation, much of the Dec. 10 gathering hosted by the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce wound up being devoted to the future of the General Assembly — a future that, following a Dec. 8 order by the North Carolina Supreme Court, faces many unknowns.
Two very different yet beloved events are back, along with a new study that gauges the area brewing industry’s economic impact.
“An increase in the subsidy rate formula will allow more centers to continue operating and to increase pay for the child care workforce.”
While much attention has been paid to the struggles of individual businesses that have borne the economic brunt of the pandemic, Asheville’s business organizations, which provide a critical framework for entrepreneurs to network, collaborate and market their wares, have also taken a hit.