“Asheville is a small city and applying mega-urban-growth ideals is not what this city is all about.”
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“Asheville is a small city and applying mega-urban-growth ideals is not what this city is all about.”
“Asheville is changing, and since affordable housing is already in short supply, every neighborhood has a responsibility to accept its share of new, denser residential projects, despite the inevitable protests by vocal citizen groups.”
“The affordable housing problems of Asheville will not be solved by destroying our heritage.”
“As a neighborhood, many of us would likely extend our heartfelt support for a development project that respects the hard work, discernment and collective visioning of our neighborhood citizens and abides by the present zoning that we have worked so diligently to create.”
“The city of Coral Gables, Fla.. … has been very successful preserving its heritage as well as allowing for the growth that comes with a popular place to live.
“The gargantuan design is pretentious in the cottage area. Increased traffic, dangerously absurd. Total disregard for historic treasures, even worse.”
“Without the bridge, Richmond Hill will be torn apart — both figuratively and literally. Our community will bear the burden but not one benefit.”
“We ask why the developers don’t care. They’ve been taught architecture as though project sites were interchangeable background slides projected behind the main subject: the man-made structure.”
“Projects like the one proposed for Richmond Hill have real, externalized costs, as well as intangible costs. We need to identify those costs and ask who will pay for them.”
The new regulations allow hotels with 115 rooms or fewer to avoid a Council vote if they meet a series of design requirements, are located in a newly approved overlay district and contribute to equity-related public benefits.
“We chose to buy our homes in this neighborhood and should have a voice in how the land is used.”
“Our small neighborhood and hundreds of daily Richmond Hill Park visitors do not want a Reynolds Mountain-type development here.”
“The community has serious concerns about the proposed development on Richmond Hill.”
“Honest, experienced and expert leaders can soon run the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners when we elect Robert Pressley — candidate for chair; Glenda Weinert — District 1; Anthony Penland — District 2; Joe Belcher — District 3!”
Move over, police, protests and the pandemic: At Asheville City Council’s meeting of Tuesday, Oct. 13, the focus shifts to development (at least according to the agenda).
“We trade an isolated E. coli spike into a polluted, imperiled stream for the destruction of a watershed.”
“Will Asheville, the city I fell in love with, recover in time to prevent irreparable damage?”
How did Xpress readers process all the local news and changes this year? Here’s a look at the topics that generated the most commentaries, letters to the editor and online comments in Xpress in 2019.