City Council approved four rezoning requests at its regular meeting on June 28, including a 272-unit apartment complex on Mills Gap Road that generated considerable public opposition when it was first proposed. Developer Rusty Pulliam appeared to have won over many members of the community by adding traffic mitigation measures at the intersection of Mills Gap and Sweeten Creek roads, delaying construction until 2018 and by committing 15 percent of the units as affordable housing for 15 years.
City Council will hold two meetings on Tuesday, June 28: at 10 a.m., a work session on the proposed city bond referendum and, at 5 p.m., its regular bi-weekly meeting.
At its June 14 meeting, City Council will vote on Asheville’s municipal budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on July 1. Council will also hear an update on the I-26 Connector project and will consider a rezoning request related to a proposed 290-unit apartment development off of Long Shoals Road.
Driven by concerns about rapid development and increasing traffic congestion, South Asheville residents are working to make their voices heard in city and county government. One prospective apartment complex at the corner of Mills Gap and Sweeten Creek roads has become a focus for residents’ concerns.
City Council appointed Franzi Charen to the Downtown Commission and Barry Bialik and Laura Collins to the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee at its Jan. 26 meeting. Council also passed a “Ban the Box” measure, meaning that applicants for most city positions will no longer be required to answer questions about past criminal convictions on their initial job applications.
