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.
Amid packed chambers and a contentious public debate, Asheville City Council voted 4-2 earlier tonight, Sept. 11, to approve the $2.5 million sale of property on Haywood Street to the McKibbon Hotel Group. The company plans to build a 140-room hotel on the site, near the Basilica of St. Lawrence.
Follow live Twitter coverage as Asheville City Council moves toward a decision on the fate of Haywood Street property across from the Basilica of St. Lawrence.
At its meeting tonight, Sept. 11, Asheville City Council will decide an issue which has fueled months of debate: whether or not to sell city property across from the Basilica of St. Lawrence to the McKibbon Hotel Group. The public hearing on the matter is the only major item on Council’s agenda.
Leaders from the city of Asheville, Buncombe County, and the Block neighborhood joined together this morning, Aug. 27, to announce that due to $7 million in funding from the state, the Eagle Market Place mixed-use project will move forward. The announcement marks a major step forward in long-awaited redevelopment of the area. (Photos by Bill Rhodes).
Asheville City Council put a referendum on the sale of the city’s water system on the Nov. 6 ballot at its meeting tonight, Aug. 14. Council also discussed a proposed hotel on Haywood Street and approved incentives for the Linamar plant expansion. (photo by Max Cooper)
Putting a referendum on the fate of Asheville’s water system on the November ballot is front and center at tomorrow’s Asheville City Council meeting.
Overseen by the Asheville Housing Authority, an array of local nonprofits are currently involved in renovating the Reid Center, which had its official groundbreaking this week. Here’s a look at the designs for the finished renovation.
The $4.3 million renovation of the Reid Center got an official kick-off with a groundbreaking this afternoon. An array of non-profit and community organizations are working to turn the Southside mainstay into a hub for education, job training, and the local community. (photos by Bill Rhodes)
At an Aug. 7 informational meeting at the U.S. Cellular Center, the McKibbon Hotel Group laid out its plans for a hotel and plaza on city-owned property across from the St. Lawrence Basilica in downtown Asheville. The city is considering McKibbon’s proposal, but hasn’t endorsed or committed to any project yet.
The area that sits in the foreground of the Basilica of St. Lawrence and the U.S. Cellular Center (the renamed Civic Center) offers a rare opportunity (see “City Will Bring Forward Offers on Haywood St. Properties in March,” Feb. 21, 2012 Xpress). Representing a unique civic/religious convergence in downtown Asheville, this urban canvas, which includes […]
New Belgium Brewing Co. and Asheville officials unveiled transformative plans for the company’s site on Craven Street and the surrounding area, such as a new streetscape, greenway, bike lanes, sidewalks and entertainment pavilion.
Officials from New Belgium Brewing Co. are in town today, July 25, to unveil preliminary designs for their new $175 million brewing facility that’s going to be built on Craven Street in the River Arts District.
Tonight, July 24, Asheville City Council heard the first public report on the Asheville Police Department evidence room, revealing a state of deep disarray. Mayor Terry Bellamy called the situation “appalling,” and the auditors estimated it will take at least two years to sort out.
It promises to be a busy meeting for Asheville City Council tonight, as it receives the first public report focusing on the evidence room audit. But that’s not all: allowing skateboarding downtown and state legislation on the possible take-over of the city’s water system are also before Council.
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.
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.
A “parklet” including plants, benches and a bike rack may soon take over Lexington Avenue parking spots, as the Downtown Commission endorsed the project last week. The initiative is the first major effort from Open Asheville, a new nonprofit, to apply “tactical urbanism” to downtown.
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.
Since news broke last week that Trader Joe’s is coming to Merrimon Avenue, reactions have ranged from enthusiastic support to criticism over its location. But there won’t be any showdown in the halls of government: Due to city rules, the grocery chain’s proposed location won’t go before Asheville City Council or the Planning and Zoning Commission for a vote.
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.
