Down from 460 homes in November 2014, only 63 houses listed at less than $200,000 were available for sale in Buncombe County as of July 2019. Median rental costs in the area have also increased at a 5.4% annual rate over the same period.
Tag: City of Asheville
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Expecting crowds, Council to meet Sept. 24 at U.S. Cellular Center
Asheville City Council is gearing up for a long night. Six public hearings are scheduled for the body’s regular meeting of Tuesday, Sept, 24 — including discussions of overturning Asheville’s state-imposed district election system, enacting a temporary hotel ban and approving a mixed-use hotel before that ban would go into effect. And if the change […]
Welcome back to square one
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
APD Chief Chris Bailey resigns; felony charges surface
After less than two months in his position, Chief Chris Bailey has announced his resignation from the Asheville Police Department.
We Choose to Go Green
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
Bleak to the Future
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
City, county debut results of renewable energy planning
The $100,000 report, commissioned from Massachusetts-based consultants The Cadmus Group, finds that local government action will be insufficient for Asheville and Buncombe County to run operations entirely on renewable energy by their goal date of 2030 without the purchase of renewable energy certificates or significant state-level regulatory changes.
Letter: Leaf pickup policy needs another look
“The city’s policy of dumping leaves and other yard trash out of the plastic bags holding them and leaving the bags lying in the gutter is contributing to plastic ending up in the ocean.”
City Attorney Brad Branham on representing Asheville
City Attorney Brad Branham sat down with Xpress to discuss the legal challenges surrounding affordable housing, expanding transit and more.
A Step in the Right Direction
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
News Briefs: Buncombe maintains state’s lowest unemployment, bat fungus spotted in Madison County
Buncombe did see its unemployment tick up from the 2.8% April rate; the May rate was also higher than the 2.8% reported for the same month last year. However, the Department of Commerce noted that all of the state’s other metro areas also saw rate increases, and the Asheville metro area actually added about 1,900 nonfarm jobs in May.
News briefs: Thomas Wolfe Auditorium survey, WNC nonprofits receive $900K in awards
The questionnaire will advise the city on which updates and renovations of the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium best serve community needs. Once the survey is completed, Earl Swensson Associates Architects will draft programming and conceptual designs for the building.
Green in brief: Asheville releases guide to climate resilience, RiverLink plans sale of French Broad land for restaurant
“Building a Climate-Resilient Asheville,” debuted during a June 19 meeting of the city’s Sustainability Advisory Committee on Energy and the Environment at The Collider, focuses on practical steps individuals can take to reduce their vulnerability to extreme weather.
News briefs: Strive Beyond promotes alternative transportation, Asheville hosts home ownership fair
Activists with the Health Equity Coalition are organizing a Friday, May 24, community forum to explore how the $1.5 billion Dogwood Health Trust, created from the sale of Mission Health, offers the prospect of “life-changing” investments in the wellbeing of residents in 18 Western North Carolina counties. Also, it’s time to strive to drive less in the runup to the Strive Beyond Summit at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Mills River on Friday, May 31, from 3-5 p.m.
Campbell calls racial disparities Asheville’s biggest challenge
Asheville City Manager Debra Campbell said both the city and the private sector need to pitch in to make progress on the issue. “What that says to me is collectively, not individually, we gotta work on this. We need tons of resources to address this issue,” she said.
Asheville residents question water bill delivery, fees
On the social media site Nextdoor, multiple residents say they haven’t received utility bills before getting the associated delinquent notice. The city, which has collected over $820,000 in late fees every fiscal year since at least 2015-16, says there are no plans to change billing systems or research improvements to the current approach.
WNC adjusts to shifts in recycling market
Eric Bradford, director of operations at local environmental nonprofit Asheville GreenWorks, calls China’s restriction of its recyclables market a wake-up call for domestic recyclers. “We were basically paying China to be our landfill for these ‘recyclables,’ and we felt good about it,” he says.
Hooper files response to defamation suit
In court documents filed March 12, former Asheville Police Chief Tammy Hooper’s attorney, Joseph P. McGuire, responded to a legal complaint brought against Hooper by former Asheville Police Sgt. Lisa Taube.
Asheville acknowledges “significant disruption” by water system issues
Over the next few days, said Water Resources Director David Melton, customers may need to flush their water lines and hot water heaters to clear residual sediment. He said that city staff would work to make billing adjustments for customers who used additional water for this purpose.
Xpress calls for greater transparency in local government
Our community has learned a lot about the limits of open government law over the past year, as indictments of former Buncombe County employees Wanda Greene, Mandy Stone, Jon Creighton and Michael Greene revealed corruption and embezzlement concealed from both the public and the media over many years.
Urban forestry proposals aim to save Asheville’s trees
By adding a dedicated urban forester, crafting an urban forest master plan and strengthening the current municipal tree ordinance, say members of Asheville’s Tree Commission, the city can manage its growth in a greener and more climate-resilient way. “The more hard surface we have, the more green we need to balance it out,” says commission chair Stephen Hendricks.