Council is considering a public/ private partnership with Charlotte-based developer Laurel Street Residential for the construction of affordable housing in Asheville’s South Slope.
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Council is considering a public/ private partnership with Charlotte-based developer Laurel Street Residential for the construction of affordable housing in Asheville’s South Slope.
The approved budget more than $30.1 million for the Asheville Police Department, $500,000 for the city’s reparations fund, $108,000 to create an urban forester position and $300,000 to increase full-time employee salaries, among other items.
Asheville City Council will hold a hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2022-23 budget during its 5 p.m. regular meeting Tuesday, June 14. In anticipation of that hearing, Xpress has pulled 10 noteworthy takeaways from the 112-page document.
Members of Asheville City Council discussed transit, parking revenues, personnel costs and weighed funding options for the newly approved updates to Memorial Stadium.
Neighborhood residents had been asking for a new track as part of renovations to Memorial Stadium since 2017, after Asheville voters approved a $74 million bond issue in 2016.
Listed on Council’s agenda for Tuesday, March 22, is a presentation about Asheville’s “community cleanliness strategy.” The discussion comes two weeks after the Asheville Downtown Association released its annual survey, in which respondents gave the city’s core a 2.2 out of 5 in terms of cleanliness.
Planned improvements to Memorial Stadium, located just east of the Asheville Tourists’ McCormick Field, include new artificial turf with improved drainage, new stormwater infrastructure, the installation of sidewalks and access to existing concrete bleachers in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
At their regular meeting of Tuesday, May 11, Council members will consider whether to expand the definition of a kitchen, prohibit the use of detached accessory structures for homestays and require that non-resident property owners be listed as co-hosts on homestay applications.
“I bet the TDA could fund our greenway initiatives, maintenance and policing at those huge tourist-driving events in Asheville, and the City Council could then allocate that revenue to fully funding the Transit Plan or road repairs, etc.”
Parks and Recreation Director Roderick Simmons fielded criticism over the parking changes from multiple community members and athletic groups. The city’s efforts to reduce the burden of event parking in the East End, Edgehill, Hunt Hill and Oakhurst neighborhoods, they said, had hampered their access to the athletic facility.
A frequent visitor to Asheville since his days with Drive-By Truckers, the guitarist always looks forward to meeting up with old friends here. “Asheville is like the brunch capital of the South,” he says.
Thousands turned out for the second Women’s March on Asheville on Jan. 20. Organized this year by four high school students, the event featured speakers including Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, Asheville City Council member Sheneika Smith and Our Voice Executive Director Angelica Wind.