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.
Tag: Business Improvement District
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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)
LIVE: Dispatches from the community meeting on the BID plan
Plans to create a Business Improvement District in downtown Asheville have drawn attention in past weeks, and tonight, its opponents have organized a community forum on the topic, starting at 5 p.m. at Pack Memorial Library. Follow Senior Reporter David Forbes via Twitter — @davidforbes or #avlbid.
Community forum on downtown Asheville BID tonight as issue heats up
The past week has seen the issue of a Business Improvement District in downtown Asheville become increasingly controversial, as more organizations and individuals have weighed in on the matter. There will be a community forum on the issue 5 p.m. tonight at Pack Memorial Library, organized by BID opponents.
Council gets an earful on BID, other issues at community meeting
At a community meeting focusing on the core of the city, Asheville City Council heard from a number of residents, property, and business owners critical of a proposed Business Improvement District downtown. Others had concerns about a possible hotel near the Basilica of St. Lawrence, among other issues.
Taxpayers foot the bill for the BID program
The city administrators are striving to create a business improvement district, or BID program. The defined area will include all the businesses and every property owner in that district. Instead of having everyone included in the defined area having a vote, they will subdivide into smaller districts. Therefore, many residents in a subdistrict will be […]
Plan for downtown Asheville Business Improvement District faces skepticism
On June 12, Asheville City Council will vote on creating a special tax area to fund the downtown Business Improvement District, a nonprofit entity with its own service and security functions. But the BID faces no shortage of criticism about its consequences and accountability.
Putting a price tag on Sunday bus service, staff raises, and more
As the city of Asheville begins deciding what it will and won’t spend money on in the coming year, staff has presented a menu of budget options, putting a price tag on everything from Sunday bus service ($190,000 a year) to a raise for city staff ($460,000).
Place your BIDs: Property owners propose downtown business improvement district
Amid talk of higher taxes and better services, City Council may soon decide whether downtown Asheville gets a business improvement district. Many city residents first encountered the term in 2009, when Boston-based consultants Goody Clancy recommended the idea in their draft of what became Asheville’s Downtown Master Plan. Council adopted the plan later that year, […]