The initiative will make 150 spaces in the county’s Coxe Avenue garage available to low-income downtown employees at $40 per month — less than half the current $85 monthly rate — by the end of the year.
Tag: Tim Love
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From CPP: Broadband boost planned for 1,000 Buncombe County homes
Rural northern Buncombe County is the first area in the county to see the result of the American Rescue Plan Act’s quest to expand reliable broadband access. Buncombe is one of 81 NC counties that have received state funding to improve internet service.
Buncombe considers parking solutions for low-income workers
The county may offer reduced monthly parking passes in its Coxe Avenue parking deck, cutting the monthly cost to rent a space in that garage from $85 to $40 for employees who work within about a mile of Pack Square.
Buncombe leaders talk rising poverty, county economy
According to data presented by Tim Love, Buncombe’s director of economic development and governmental relations, the county’s poverty rate went up from about 11.5% in 2018 — its lowest point in a decade — to about 13.9% in 2020, the latest year for which information was available. Poverty in both North Carolina and the overall U.S. fell over the same period.
Voters may decide on $70M in Buncombe borrowing this year
During an April 19 briefing, the county Board of Commissioners heard a presentation by the nonprofit Trust for Public Land about the feasibility of issuing $70 million in bonds for housing and land conservation, which in this case would require approval through referendums of Buncombe voters.
Buncombe considers affordable housing partnership with UNC
As outlined in an April 5 presentation to the Board of Commissioners by Tim Love, Buncombe’s director of economic development and governmental relations, the county is exploring a nearly $221,000 contract with the school’s Development Finance Initiative.
From CPP: Connecting some rural areas of WNC to high-speed internet getting boost from ARPA
Many areas of rural mountains in NC have limited internet access or people are forced to rely on satellites. Infusion of funds may change that.
Buncombe flags Sandy Mush, Broad River for broadband expansion
The two rural areas in the county’s northwest and southeast emerged as the biggest pockets of need after an extensive analysis by county staff of high-speed internet availability. A contract with an internet provider to expand service could go before the Board of Commissioners in July.
Proposed state COVID-19 tax relief worries Buncombe officials
“We would end up basically having to raise taxes on everyone else to fund these rebates to businesses that we understand have had a tough year, but many of which have had a great decade ahead of this year,” said Board of Commissioners Chair Brownie Newman.
Controversial choices: Debating the Pratt & Whitney project
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners and other supporters say jobs at the aerospace manufacturing plant will provide opportunities for workers to improve their standards of living. Critics say those wages are not worth the moral cost: Bolstering a military-industrial complex that causes deaths half a world away and eats up government funds better spent on other needs.
New year brings new restrictions on indoor dining capacity
Local restaurant owners face increasing challenges and difficult decisions as Buncombe County lowers dining room capacity to 30%.
Buncombe proposes $27M subsidy for Pratt & Whitney
Under a proposed economic development incentive agreement, Buncombe County taxpayers would subsidize the division of military contractor Raytheon Technologies, which made over $77 billion last fiscal year, to the tune of $27 million.
New county fund to support individuals, businesses during COVID-19
For individuals who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, the fund could pay for “life-essential needs” such as utilities and mortgages. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees could receive low-interest loans of up to $10,000 to sustain operations until they could reopen or get additional support from the federal government.
Commission hears economic development update
Beyond recruiting new companies such as Haakon Industries and Fox Factory, the Asheville-Buncombe County Economic Development Coalition supported workforce development and local startups during fiscal year 2018-19. The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners learned about the return on its $350,000 EDC investment at an Aug. 20 meeting.
Buncombe County plans for 2020 census
In a presentation at the Aug. 6 pre-meeting of the Board of Commissioners, Director of Intergovernmental Projects Tim Love said that the county misses out on roughly $1,600 of federal funding annually for every resident who goes uncounted. Buncombe is aiming to increase its census participation by roughly 10,000 residents over the 2010 effort and reach an 80% participation rate.
Buncombe shares early goals for tourism dollars
The county’s strategic thinking on tourism, explained Director of Intergovernmental Projects Tim Love, has focused on “the circulation of tourists to our unique, eclectic and vibrant community destinations.” That mission is driving Buncombe’s current input on the Tourism Development Authority’s Tourism Management & Investment Plan.
