“I implore the City of Asheville to take a thoughtful look at what unintended consequences might occur if we only approach our housing problems with an ‘easier and faster’ mindset and perhaps even strengthen building codes and regulations regarding stormwater.”
“Creating a greater variety of housing options would mean that more city residents’ children and friends could afford to stay nearby as their housing needs grow and change.”
“The simple truth is that unnecessary restrictions on supply push prices up. That’s what a commonsense understanding of supply and demand would suggest. That’s what studies show happens in the housing market.”
“As existing neighborhoods with Asheville’s iconic tree canopy and low population density became saturated — more crowded, hotter, busier and therefore less desirable — property values would definitely drop, diminishing, as Paul wrote, the “pricing power that landowners wield,” but not before developers had made some significant pocket change.”
“With the city bond proposal and some rigorous assertion of eminent domain, we could fight back against this myopic system and turn all these properties into permanent, beautiful parks — or some other development with big green spaces and little crowding.”
“’We must have ever more destruction of the environment to save it,’” chants the Kool-Aid quaffing Sierra Club.”
“Business as usual is not going to take us where we need to go as a community resilient to the worsening effects of climate change or one that strives for economic justice for those who live and work here.”
“Take, for instance, objections recently raised in the Mountain Xpress to increased housing density, open-space reduction and infill construction.”
“So, sorry, but local development will proceed, and my view is that our city and county are doing all that they can to preserve our unique local identity and still allow for affordable housing, environmental protections, family farm protections and all of the many factors that make WNC a place in which we want to live.”
“When The Market is ‘up,’ sacrifices of mature trees, wild animals and poor people must be offered in order to win Its favor.”
“Frankly, New Urbanism is not viable for many areas of Asheville that would involve an infill development process versus beginning with a virtual tabula rasa — a clean slate on all key levels: land planning, transportation infrastructure, environmental engineering, etc.”
“I want to urge anyone who still has issues with our development of the land on Shelburne Drive to talk to us about your concerns rather than anonymously trespass and damage our property.”
