Asheville Police Department Lt. Mark Byrd, claiming the city of Asheville’s management and the APD’s leadership retaliated and discriminated against him on a number of occasions, including when his wife filed a sexual harassment suit, filed a lawsuit in federal court Jan. 21.
After nearly a year of debate, Buncombe County commissioners unanimously voted Jan. 14 to spend $40.5 million to build a new Asheville Middle School.
A group, People’s Voice for Transportation Equality, presented an agenda for an overhaul of the Asheville Transit System to make it more responsive to its ridership at a rally this afternoon. The group is calling for late-night and Sunday service, more representation in the decision-making process and more accountability, among other changes. Photo by Michael Carlebach
What’s needed to solve Asheville’s housing crunch? Fewer development hurdles, a city “land bank” to preserve property for affordable housing, more density and a hard “target number” for units that need to be created each year— these are some of the ideas to come out of a recent meeting of the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee.
This coming Tuesday, Jan. 14, a group of transit riders and citizens will assemble in Pack Square to call for an overhaul of the city’s system that “prioritizes the needs of the people who use public transit out of necessity.” The group has a 19-point plan to improve transit services and make the management of the system more representative of its ridership.
As part of a major effort to examine Asheville’s lack of affordable housing and possibly overhaul the way city government approaches the issue, the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee interviewed a range of developers to find out why many don’t build affordable housing. They replied that the costs of land, a lack of infrastructure, insufficient transit, city rules inhibiting denser development and neighborhood opposition all play a role in why many of them don’t build more affordable units.
Asheville City Council’s 2013 was marked by financial turmoil, the first major tax hike in more than a decade, the demise of a long-standing festival, and major fights with the Legislature in Raleigh.
The tourism industry already brings in $2.3 billion annually to Buncombe County. That’s up from roughly $183 million 30 years ago. But to continue to grow local visitation, government officials and business owners need to “anticipate trends that are shaping the future,” says Mike Konzen, a leading global consultant.
Newspaper boxes are back in the news, with a downtown business owner saying this week that he saw city of Asheville workers removing boxes from a downtown sidewalk late one night, and this morning, some Downtown Commission members questioning the right of newspapers to place their boxes downtown with any legal protection.
About 150 community leaders gathered Dec. 11 to discuss Asheville’s strengths as a tourism destination, learn about new projects in the works, and share ideas for the future.
A new Asheville City Council met Dec. 10, with Esther Manheimer sworn in as mayor, Marc Hunt chosen as the new vice mayor, three development decisions postponed and neighborhood leaders raising concerns about issues in East Asheville. (Photo by Alicia Funderburk)
Late last month, multiple local publications reported that their boxes were missing from the streets of downtown Asheville. Late last week, some of the boxes were found in an abandoned Haywood Street parking garage. There is no word yet on who put them there.
The new Asheville City Council and mayor take office next Tuesday, Dec. 10, at a swearing-in before the regular meeting. Council was facing a vote on a controversial development, but it’s likely that will be delayed, though there’s still decisions on a new vice mayor, an apartment project and an overhaul of oversight in the River Arts District.
This week Terry Bellamy gave her farewell address after eight years as Asheville’s mayor; a time of considerable change for the city. Here’s a brief look at her tenure, and more on Mayor-elect Esther Manheimer, who will take up the gavel this Tuesday, Dec. 10.
At a ceremony this evening, outgoing Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy’s portrait joined predecessors on the walls of City Hall. In her final speech, Bellamy touted the city’s low unemployment rate and improved relations with Buncombe County government, thanking many of her colleagues. (photo by Josh Vaughn)
Almost 50 newspaper boxes from a variety of publications are missing from downtown Asheville, with some having mysteriously disappeared in recent weeks. Both city staff and representatives of some of the publications have no idea who is behind the disappearances. File photo by Max Cooper.
The McKibbon Hotel Group will not develop city-owned property across from the Basilica of St. Lawrence. According to an announcement from the company, a lawsuit by other downtown hoteliers dragged on long enough that the project was no longer viable.
State, local and company officials met today, Nov. 14, to break ground on GE Aviation’s new 170,000-square-foot Asheville facility, being built next to an existing GE Aviation machining plant in South Asheville.
At its Nov. 12 meeting, the last one with the current Asheville City Council, handguns on playgrounds and a changing design for a new A-B Tech facility are chief on the agenda.
A series of images by photographer Nick King showing a glimpse of election night, as Ashevilleans found out the results of the election for their next mayor and three City Council members.
After a discussion about conflicting city goals, the need for more density and the precedent for growth throughout Asheville, the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission narrowly approved a proposed 16-unit housing development on Chestnut Street at tonight’s meeting.
