Changes in the city’s rules have left the city of Asheville’s Planning and Zoning Commission with more power over development than ever before. Because of that, City Council will hold interviews with nine candidates in City Hall on Aug. 23, looking to fill three open seats. Xpress is inviting readers to look at their applications and let us know your top pick.
Now we know: The Republican Party and tea party, locally and nationally, have promulgated a draconian agenda of repressive and mean-spirited legislation that must not go unchallenged. Some examples of this agenda include voter ID, overriding Gov. Bev Perdue's veto of HB 854, restricting a woman's right to choose and eliminating numerous programs for the […]
Council approves $2.2 million in Linamar incentives
The Asheville City Council race is getting into high gear, with nine candidates — including two incumbents — vying for three seats. Xpress has a cover story coming Aug. 17 to help fill you in on the candidates’ qualifications and goals. In the meantime, we offer a basic guide to furnish your own inquiries, with information on where to find the candidates online and in-person.
At their Aug. 9 meeting, Asheville City Council members approved a $2 million economic-development incentive for Canadian manufacturer Linamar. If the company fulfills construction and job-creation targets, it will get a 90 percent waiver on city taxes for the next five years. Council voted 5-1 to approve the deal, with Council member Cecil Bothwell voting against it and Council member Esther Manheimer absent.
Transformational leadership indicates an actual capability to transform “wicked problems.” I have mostly lived in east Asheville since 1980 and the recent infrastructure improvements, for which Chris Pelly can take a lot of credit, are generating a huge positive effect. Using our public-resource pool in positive, ethical and innovative ways creates possibilities for good that […]
Our democracy brings candidates into a public electoral decision-making process. A few elections are non-partisan and our Asheville City Council race is one of them. So we are left with the qualifications of each candidate to determine who is best for the job. It is Lael Gray! Gray is a voice of reason and a […]
At tonight’s Asheville City Council meeting, that august governing body will vote on $2.2 million in tax incentives for Linamar’s move into the former Volvo plant, where the Canadian company plans to begin making auto parts before the end of the year. Also on the agenda: larger recycling bins, rates for renting Pack Square Park and deciding which candidates to interview for the Planning and Zoning Commission.
After a contentious public hearing, Asheville’s Planning and Zoning Commission couldn’t come to an agreement about proposed rules allowing food trucks in downtown, splitting 3-3 last night. The new rules still go to City Council (after a stop at Council’s Public Safety Commission), probably on Aug. 23, but with a negative recommendation.
Sure, Council elections aren’t partisan, but there are many Democrats in Asheville, and five of the nine candidates vying for City Council seats made their pitches last night, Aug. 2, at a Young Democrats meet-and-greet. The event was the first of the campaign season to get multiple candidates at the same event.
Lee-Walker Heights isn’t for sale, but Asheville officials have a plan to redevelop it.
At their July 26 meeting, Asheville City Council members unanimously agreed to join the Housing Authority in applying for a $300,000 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant (formerly called HOPE VI), which provides funding for a variety of community revitalization projects — many aimed at creating mixed-income housing and stimulating homeownership among low-income residents.
Here’s a summary of actions taken at the July 26 Asheville City Council meeting.
Lael Gray is an advocate for environmental protection, better education, and ending racism. Those are three things that I care about. Those are three things that you care about too. Let's vote for Lael Gray for Asheville City Council. — David Roat Asheville
Follow our Xpress live coverge of the July 26 Asheville City Council meeting here beginning at 5 p.m. On Twitter, follow #avlgov or @ChrisDGeorge. To see the Asheville City Council preview and agenda, click here.
If the agenda for tonight’s Asheville City Council meeting is any indicator, things could move along quickly at City Hall. Council is expected to take up a conditional zoning request for a portion of a lot containing Trinity United Methodist Church at 587 Haywood Road in West Asheville, a resolution supporting the city being a co-applicant with the Asheville Housing Authority for a Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant, and a massive 19-item Consent Agenda
Nine candidates, including two incumbents, will vie for three seats on Asheville City Council this year, as the filing period ended today at noon. Vice Mayor Brownie Newman will not run for re-election, and LGBT activist TJ Thomasson joined the race, filing earlier today.
With one day left in the filing period, the Asheville City Council race is heating up, as the field has grown to eight candidates vying for three seats. After remaining publicly noncommittal for months, Council member Jan Davis filed for another run. Haw Creek Community Association President Chris Pelly and activist Lael Gray also officially joined the race.
In this edition of Local Matters—the Xpress weekly news podcast—reporter David Forbes talks about the recent removal of newspaper boxes by the County and the recent announcement of candidates for Asheville City Council, and reporters Christopher George and Jake Frankel talk about the heated meetings around the new congressional redistricting plan. Hosted by News Editor Margaret Williams.
With two incumbents still undecided and one week left in the filing period, five candidates — Tim Peck, Saul Chase, Marc Hunt, Mark Cates and current Council member Bill Russell — are officially running for Asheville City Council.
Standing in that room, surrounded by angry local government officials, I realized that the dividing line — or lack thereof — between state and local power would remain an issue for years to come. It still is.
Marc Hunt is a community visionary with practical business and financial skills that are needed on our City Council. He has a deep love for our Asheville community and its natural resources. As chair of the Asheville Greenway Commission, Marc championed the acquisition of the Waller Tract along Hominy Creek. This new park land adds […]
