“We chose to buy our homes in this neighborhood and should have a voice in how the land is used.”
Tag: rezoning
Showing 1-21 of 26 results
Buncombe considers condemning Catawba casino on Aug. 18
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Richard Sneed, whose tribe owns two casinos in Western North Carolina, had lobbied the board to oppose the rival operation at an Aug. 4 briefing. He argued that the Catawba Indian Nation, members of which primarily reside in South Carolina, were not properly authorized to operate gaming across state lines.
222-acre religious conference center up for Feb. 5 commission vote
Civil engineer Mike Anderson compared the plans for the Freedom in Christ property in Candler to those of other Christian facilities in rural Buncombe, including the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove, Ridgecrest Conference Center and the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly.
Commission to decide Charlotte Highway rezoning at Jan. 7 meeting
The county planning department supports changing the roughly 6.4-acre property from its current residential zoning to commercial service. The Buncombe County Planning Board, however, recommended denial of the rezoning in a 6-1 decision on Oct. 21, citing concerns over resident displacement and steep slopes.
Buncombe moves to close development loopholes
County planning staff members say special and family subdivisions have been abused by developers to skirt regulations on infrastructure and hillside protection. The Board of Commissioners will consider whether to approve new rules to fix those issues during its regular meeting at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15, in room 326 at 200 College St.
Commissioners deny Swannanoa rezoning in 4-3 split
Republicans Mike Fryar and Robert Pressley, as well as Democrats Amanda Edwards and Al Whitesides, stood against the 1.05-acre rezoning, while Democrats Brownie Newman and Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, along with Republican Joe Belcher, gave their approval. The county planning board had recommended against the proposal, citing concerns over steep slope development.
Commission weighs $680K Habitat for Humanity loan
Habitat plans to use the money to provide down payment assistance for 38 affordable housing units at its proposed Old Haywood Road neighborhood in West Asheville. Households earning 80% or less of the area median income ($52,800 for a family of four) would receive $20,000 toward a home purchase.
Flatiron hotel conversion clears Council in 4-3 vote
At Asheville City Council’s June 25 meeting, Council member Julie Mayfield flipped on her previous opposition to the project, joining Mayor Esther Manheimer, Vice Mayor Gwen Wisler and Vijay Kapoor to complete a majority vote that allowed the rezoning of the historic building for hotel use.
Vote on county budget set for June 18
County Manager Avril Pinder recommended no substantive changes to Buncombe’s fiscal year 2019-20 budget following a June 4 public hearing, and board members are scheduled to vote on the spending plan. The budget contains over $9.1 million in general fund capital spending, roughly $7.58 million of which will be financed through debt.
Biltmore Avenue hotel returns for Council approval at March 12 meeting
While Mayor Esther Manheimer recommended in October that local hoteliers Pratik Bhakta and Monark Patel resubmit their proposal to Asheville City Council in at least “a year’s time,” the two aren’t waiting. Their hotel is back on the agenda for Council’s meeting of Tuesday, March 12, less than five months after its first consideration.
Hearings on housing at Jan. 8 Council meeting
On Tuesday, Jan. 8, Council will hold a public hearing on how to reallocate nearly $1.4 million in HOME funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Two other public hearings concern conditional zoning modifications for residential developments, including a 137-acre project on Ferry Road.
Council members declare shift in hotel thinking as Biltmore Ave. proposal withdrawn
After Mayor Esther Manheimer and Council members Keith Young and Brian Haynes shared their intent to reject the project, attorney Wyatt Stevens pulled the building from consideration on behalf of his clients, local hoteliers Pratik Bhakta and Monark Patel.
City could face equal protection suit after short-term rental vote
Reid Thompson has lost the most recent battle in his 13-plus-year fight with the city of Asheville. But the war, suggested Thompson’s representative and urban planner Joe Minicozzi, is far from over. “He’s got to file a civil suit to get his civil rights upheld,” Minicozzi said. “You can’t enforce the law on one side of the street and not enforce it on the other.”
Council to decide on Maxwell Street rentals at Oct. 9 meeting
Reid Thompson, the owner of 28 and 32 Maxwell St., seeks to rezone those properties from residential to lodging expansion, thereby allowing their short-term vacation rental use — because the activity of Greenlife Grocery, he says, has made it impossible for him to keep long-term tenants.
City leaves light on for hotel on Airport Road
City Council approved a 112-room, five-story hotel project at 390 Airport Road at its Jan. 23 meeting, but not without some reluctance.
Commissioners hear opioid report, vote along party lines on rezoning requests
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners spent nearly three hours considering zoning requests, getting information about opioid use and tending to other business during its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 18. Xpress has a recap of the entire agenda…
Planning board asking commissioners to deny two rezoning requests at Tuesday’s meeting
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will look at four rezoning requests during its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Of the four, the Planning Board recommends two be approved and two denied.
Buncombe Commissioners discuss county, city school needs
At the Tuesday, Feb. 2 Buncombe County Commissioners meeting — a meeting that lasted just under an hour, the Board heard from both Buncombe County and Asheville City schools on the needs of their facilities.
Commentary: Highest and best use? Or absolutely the worst use?
Editor’s note: The issues of density, zoning, Smart Growth and quality of life in the city of Asheville continue to generate interest and concern among Mountain Xpress readers. Recent letters to the editor on the topics have generated multiple comments and new letters, along with a lively thread on the Facebook group Asheville Politics, which […]
For a song: county commissioners vote on mental health, new attorney
In a rather out-of-the-ordinary Nov. 5 Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting, members of the board voted and came to unanimous decisions on matters of transportation, rezoning and a resolution for the Smoky Mountain LME board of representatives.
Buncombe commissioner preview: health and mobility
At the Nov. 5 Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting, the board will tackle a rezoning, grants for the Mountain Mobility transportation program, and changing the rules for a local mental health authority.