Asheville City Council preview: extending downtown, and monitoring transit

Asheville City Council has a light agenda for its meeting tonight, with the only public hearing concerning extending downtown zoning. However, the consent agenda includes meatier items than usual, like $450,000 (mostly from the state) for a new public transportation monitoring system, and $380,000 for a new sidewalk project in South Asheville.

What happens to Asheville’­s water system on May 15?

As a forcible transfer of Asheville’s water system to the Metropolitan Sewerage District clears its last legislative hurdles in Raleigh, city staff say relinquishing the system by May 15, as the bill requires, is an administrative impossibility. So what happens to the city’s water system in two weeks? “That’s a good question,” Water Resources Director Steve Shoaf says.

Council appoints planning commission members; will reconvene on water issue Thursday

It was a lengthy session for Asheville City Council on Aug. 28, and it’s not technically over: Council will reconvene Thursday, Aug. 30, at 4 p.m. to discuss changing the language of the water system referendum. At Tuesday’s meeting, Council appointed Joe Minicozzi and Holly Shriner to the powerful Planning and Zoning commission, among many other matters.