Chamber of Commerce looks to year ahead

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.

To BID or not to BID: Government coercion no solution to downtown issues

The basic idea behind the business-improvement district proposed for downtown Asheville is a good one: people working together to solve shared problems that tend to hamper or impede the conduct of business and peaceful living. Graffiti, vandalism, snow, trash, debris, crimes and misdemeanors are real issues — but solutions to these and other problems can be effected individually or cooperatively.

Lots of vacation time?

The BID program proposes a staff of 14 employees to cover the downtown business district. What will these 14 employees be doing the three to four winter months when there are few visitors to Asheville downtown? In addition to the slack time in winter, during the rest of the year downtown is busy from Wednesday […]

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 […]