Xpress reached out to candidates across the two counties to understand their motivations for participating in the municipal elections. Many of the topics the hopeful elected officials raised — diversity, transportation planning and preservation of small-town character — may give WNC politicos a sneak peak at what will be important to area voters in 2020.
The 1860 census records show that Buncombe County had 1,907 slaves and 283 slave owners. Yet even today, some local historians say people are unaware that slavery existed in WNC.
” I would ask for plan transparency, some preservation of the environment and safety for pre-existing homeowners. So far we know nothing.”
“I was hoping the village would become a vibrant community of businesses, restaurants and shopping. That has not happened.”
With the county’s commitment to running all county operations off renewable energy by 2030 still an open question, Buncombe County is poised to take a step this week towards fulfilling that goal.
With the real estate market in Asheville becoming tighter and more expensive, homebuyers are increasingly looking outside the city, and oftentimes Buncombe County, to find a home that fits their budget.
Four food and beverage businesses with diverse concepts will launch in the neighborhood this spring.
Asheville as we know it today was built upon the back of its electric streetcar system, one of the largest networks of its time. As the city finds itself in a growth spurt once again, could its defunct trolley system provide some clues to Asheville’s transit future?
As development across Buncombe County continues to boom so do concerns about traffic. Xpress takes an in-depth look at who you can turn to for traffic studies, traffic calming and more.
Tempie Avery was a midwife, nurse and former slave of Asheville attorney and state senator Nicholas Woodfin.
Community and business representatives from across the rail industry gathered in Asheville on Sept. 22 for the Railroads & Regional Economic Development Conference. Organized by the WNC Rail Committee, the conference revealed some hints of how railroads may adapt to changing times.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners tapped Duke Energy for a solar farm project at the old county landfill and unanimously denied a rezoning request.
To fulfill its critical mission and increase its capacity to deal with a growing service area and customer base, MSD is in the midst of a $266 million capital improvement project, which will help ensure that the community’s waste is properly handled and safely disposed of.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners had a rare splitting of party lines as a partnership with Duke Energy caused a riff among Democrats.
The Buncombe County tax department finished its preliminary property tax reappraisal for 2017 and it shows, before appeals have been filed and settled, that the county’s 2017 property tax base is approximately $31.5 billion. That’s an increase of $6.8 billion from the last assessment in 2012.
Wild Wing Cafe in South Asheville will host a viewing party at 10 p.m. Sunday, June 26, for the AMC television show “Ride with Norman Reedus.” The June 26 episode will feature the moonshiners of Woodfin’s Howling Moon Distillery.
“Development in Asheville and surrounds is inevitable, but there are too many unanswered questions with Cornerstone and too many risks to northern Buncombe County for this development to be approved.”
“Why did Woodfin annex that property? Asheville has stringent steep-slope requirements … Woodfin has no steep-slope requirements.”
The majority of those attending a Woodfin Planning & Zoning Commission meeting on Monday, April 4 had to stand — and many of them had to stand in the hall outside the meeting room, unable to hear or see the proceedings. After two hours of public comment, commissioners voted unanimously to defer a decision on the 196-unit Cornerstone project proposed for Elk Mountain overlooking Beaver Lake.
At the Tuesday, Dec. 1 Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting, the commissioners will vote for a new vice chair of the Board — and also decide whether to amend the county zoning map by adding zoning to unincorporated areas.
“The best cure for the ills of democracy is more democracy.” — Edward Abbey, A Voice Crying in the Wilderness The affluent little town of Chevy Chase, Maryland, population 2,918, was rocked earlier this year when a surprise write-in candidate garnered 168 votes to displace an unopposed incumbent. The town attorney and Ethics Commission were […]
