Buncombe Commission­ers

Commissioners approve $1.8 million for conservation easements Affordable-housing development wins initial approval At the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Oct. 7 meeting, the news wasn’t just what happened but what didn’t. The commissioners chose to delay action on three major items: the long-overdue appointment of new members to the powerful county Planning Board, a controversial […]

Buncombe Commission­ers

Site problems could add $1 million to cost of new animal shelter Fewer unwanted animals killed Controversy over the Buncombe County commissioners’ approach to Planning Board appointments continued at the commissioners’ Sept. 2 meeting. Critics questioned both the makeup of the powerful board and the lack of transparency in how the appointments are being handled. […]

Buncombe Planning Board controvers­y continues; activists to meet tonight

Local activists are asserting that the interviewing process for open seats on the county Planning Board lacks transparency and is tilted towards developers, after the county disqualified a number of applicants based on an unwritten rule. WNC Alliance is meeting tonight to plot strategy about the board, while the county has announced that it may also interview for a seat representing the Asheville City school district.

And in this corner…

Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Chair Nathan Ramsey and Vice Chair David Gantt, who’s challenging Ramsey for the chairman’s seat, kept the tone mostly civil during an Aug. 27 lunchtime forum, but the two exchanged barbs about each other’s records on the Parkside controversy, zoning and taxes. The contenders: Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Chair […]

The talking magnolia

The extensive resistance to building right on top of the disputed magnolia tree in City/County Plaza proves there’s still plenty of vitality in Asheville’s old democratic bones. Many usually apolitical people have joined the fight, saying something like, “This is the last straw.” But the last straw in what? If the magnolia could speak, I […]