Signs good, lights bad — at their March 22 meeting, Asheville City Council members required Ingles Markets to place less bright lights than it requested for a proposed grocery complex on Smokey Park Highway, but they approved the company’s request for more signs. In other actions…
A large Ingles supermarket development on Smoky Park Highway seeking an exemption from the city’s regular zoning rules is the main item at the March 22 Asheville City Council meeting.
In this week’s Local Matters podcast, Xpress news editor Margaret Williams talks to reporter David Forbes about Buncombe County’s budget woes, and environmental reporter Susan Andrew about the latest news from the EPA about the polluted CTS site. Xpress freelancer Christopher George also presents a rundown of last week’s City Council meeting.
Unable to complete revisions to its strategic goals during the February retreat, Asheville City Council met yesterday afternoon, March 8, to finish the job and review the budget process.
At their March 8 meeting, Asheville City Council members voted 6-1 to approve an incentives policy that encourages high density, environmentally sustainable, affordable housing developments. Members also tabled several items for further discussion, including a proposal that expands reporting requirements for pawn shops.
Tomorrow’s meeting of Asheville City Council sees another go at new development incentives, and a number of workforce or affordable housing developments wrapping up or coming to the city for a partnership.
At the end of a nearly six-hour meeting, Asheville City Council passed a “equality” resolution that includes domestic-partnership registry, employment non-discrimination policy, anti-bullying ordinance and an endorsement of civil marriage. In other actions, Council continued its public hearing on Ingles’ request for exemptions in its plan to build a new store on Smoky Park Highway. 
photo by Jerry Nelson
It promises to be a busy meeting tonight as Asheville City Council considers an equality resolution aimed at protecting the rights of LGBT citizens, as well as a controversial Ingles expansion, among other items. Follow live Twitter coverage here.
At its Feb. 22 meeting, the Asheville City Council faces two major issues — the passage of an equality resolution aimed at securing LGBT rights and the approval of the expansion of an Ingles on Smoky Park Highway.
At its Feb. 8 meeting, Asheville City Council, on narrow votes, passed two development amendments aimed at curbing the practice of developers slightly modifying a project to bring it back after Council has rejected it.
Follow Mountain Xpress live Asheville City Council dispatches via Twitter by following the hashtag #avlgov — or click here for our live feed. For a Council’s agenda and a preview, click here.
At its meeting tonight, Feb. 8, Asheville City Council will consider amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance to prohibit developers from bringing projects back with slight modification after Council’s turned them down. The move is partially related to the Caledonia Apartments project.
Asheville City Council meets for its annual goal-setting retreat today, Feb. 4, at Warren Wilson College. Follow live dispatches of portions of the retreat from Senior News Reporter David Forbes at #avlgov or see below. For the Council agenda, click here. Some top discussions: the budget, annexation and more.
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.
About 25 local faith leaders and several Asheville City Council members gathered today, Jan. 25, at the First Congregational United Church of Christ to advocate for “full equality for all Asheville citizens.” The resolution pushed by the faith leaders — representing a variety of traditions — calls for City Council to take four specific actions, including “extending the city’s employment non-discrimination clause to include sexual orientation, gender, and gender identity or expression.”
Photo by Jonathan Welch
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.
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.
Hours before its last regular meeting of the year, Asheville City Council members warmed up for a work session on Tuesday, Dec. 14. The main topic — annexation. See below for live Twitter coverage from Senior News Reporter David Forbes.
