The plan, to be considered by Asheville’s Planning and Zoning Commission July 6, contains ten key initiatives, including a gateway to reconnect McCormick Field and Memorial Stadium with downtown, public art installations, commemoration of the neighborhood’s African American history, affordable housing and transforming Coxe Avenue into a tree-lined “green Main Street.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice if our city saw its master plan as an integral one with environmental stewardship at the center, human sustainability, human mobility and infrastructure coming after? “
ASHEVILLE, N.C.
Asheville City Council voted to halt hotel approvals for one year and will use the time to examine the impact of hotels on the community and develop new guidelines for hotel approval.
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 […]
“Many artists, creatives, musicians and performers are leaving due to the rapidly increasing cost of living, putting Asheville’s culture at risk,” says Stephanie Moore of the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design. Despite a flurry of concern and initiative, local leaders and developers are finding that providing affordable living and working space for the area’s working artists remains a difficult challenge as property values and rents continue to climb in the city.
The hotel project hearing is now tentatively scheduled for the same meeting in which Council members will vote on whether to implement a temporary ban on new hotel construction.
“However, given the high number of other similarly unique hotel developments already underway in our community, and given the negative impact that this project will have on the market, I am vehemently opposed to its approval at this time.”
“It is my heartfelt opinion that Create 72 Broadway, as currently proposed, would be the death of Asheville City Market.”
“I wouldn’t even call this a hotel project. I mean, yes, it is leaning more towards hotel than residential, but we are getting affordable housing downtown,” said commission member Joe Archibald. The project as approved includes 137 hotel rooms and 37 residential units, 11 of which are reserved for low-income households or local artists.
