After months of debate, on Oct. 9 Asheville City Council passed the controversial plan for a downtown Business Improvement District 5-2. Council changed the proposed makeup of the BID’s governing board, and will set a tax rate and other specifics for the district at a later date.
Tag: Business Improvement District
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LIVE: Twitter coverage of the Oct. 9 Asheville City Council meeting
The vote on a Business Improvement District in downtown dominates this evening’s Asheville City Council agenda. Follow live Twitter coverage here.
BID opponents unconvinced by new plan
If the opinions of representatives from two groups of opponents of a Business Improvement District are any indication, the revised proposal revealed by the interim board late last week has failed to win them over. Asheville City Council votes on approval of the BID tonight, Oct. 9.
City within a city: A look at what’s changed (and hasn’t) in the new BID proposal
Asheville City Council will vote on the controversial proposal for a downtown Business Improvement District tomorrow night, Oct. 9. A look at what’s changed — and what hasn’t — in the new proposal, and why the BID’s architects crafted it the way they did.
Revised BID proposal: delayed ambassadors, shorter borders, adjusted board
The Interim BID Board has released its revised proposal for a Business Improvement District in downtown Asheville. The new proposal shortens the borders of the district, delays the controversial ambassador safety program, and changes the composition of the governing board, as well as opening the possibility of a lower tax to fund the district.
Asheville City Council may delay BID decision until Oct. 9
Today the city of Asheville released a list of public hearings scheduled for the Sept. 25 Asheville City Council meeting. It notes that a decision on a Business Improvement District for downtown could be delayed until Oct. 9. The interim BID Board has requested the change, as Vice Mayor Esther Manheimer will be absent that night.
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.
Towns, fire chiefs oppose Asheville BID due to loss of sales tax revenue
The proposed downtown Asheville Business Improvement District isn’t just controversial within the city limits: four towns, along with the Buncombe County Fire Chiefs’ Association, oppose the measure because it will reduce the sales-tax revenue they receive from the county.
Differing views at downtown Asheville BID meeting
About 60 people — ranging from condo owners to the homeless — showed up at tonight’s public-input meeting on the proposed Business Improvement District for downtown Asheville. However, critics said they felt the process was slanted towards BID proponents. Photos by Max Cooper.
Twitter coverage of the downtown BID public meeting
Follow live Twitter coverage of the city’s public input meeting on the controversial proposal for a Business Improvement District in downtown Asheville. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Asheville Civic Center ballroom.
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 […]
The BID comes back: City seeks input at tonight’s meeting
After more than a month of relative quiet, the controversial proposal to create a Business Improvement District in downtown Asheville is back in the public eye, as the city will hold a public input meeting tonight, July 17, at 5:30 p.m. in the U.S. Cellular Center ballroom.
Opinion: Different BID model could help social services
Retired social worker and activist John Spitzberg offers thoughts on how to change the Business Improvement District proposal — which he believes “will only serve to make life much more difficult for the homeless” in its current form — into something that can improve social services downtown.
Bumping the BID
A debate over the future of downtown dominated the June 12 Asheville City Council meeting. Concerned about oversight, finances, Council delayed a vote on the controversial BID proposal till Fall.
BID bumped until Fall, Council agrees on budget
After a lengthy public hearing, Asheville City Council voted 6-0 to delay a vote on the controversial Business Improvement District proposal until Sept. 25 due to concerns about the governing structure, finances and details of its services. Council also broke a deadlock over the issue of staff salaries, approving an annual budget for the city that includes a 2 percent raise for city staff — but shy of the 3 percent Mayor Terry Bellamy advocated for.
LIVE: Twitter coverage of the June 12 Asheville City Council meeting
Follow live Twitter dispatches from tonight’s Asheville City Council meeting, with controversial topics like the Business Improvement District and the budget deadlock on the agenda.
Asheville City Council preview: Frying pans and fires edition
At tonight’s Asheville City Council meeting, two extremely controversial topics — a vote on a Business Improvement District and breaking a budget deadlock — are before the city’s elected leaders. If that wasn’t enough, there are also votes on incentives for a south Asheville housing development and New Belgium’s brewery.
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 […]
A primer on the Business Improvement District controversy
Tonight, Asheville City Council is set to tackle the issue of a Business Improvement District — a services nonprofit funded by a special tax district in downtown. Here’s a roundup of information and perspectives on this controversial topic.
Pushcart vendors get endorsement for later hours
Pushcart vendors made progress on one of their demands today, as the Downtown Commission unanimously endorse extending their hours to 2 a.m. The commission talked about the vendors’ proposals, as well as the Business Improvement District, possible newspaper box restrictions and other issues.
BID critics come out for forum, plan to rally opposition
About 40 people showed up to a June 5 community forum organized by opponents of the proposed downtown Business Improvement District. Some proponents showed up, too, resulting in a lively but civil discussion. On June 12, Asheville City Council will discuss the proposal and likely vote the BID up or down. (photo by Max Cooper)