In Buncombe County, manufactured housing is limited to certain zoning designations, but the county planning board recently voted in favor of an amendment that would expand the list of areas where manufactured homes would be allowed. The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing about the change in the coming weeks.
“Crucially, there is no requirement that projects financed this way demonstrate any benefit to their host neighborhood, either before, during or after they are completed.”
“For a town that touts its ‘progressiveness,’ the city of Asheville has shown once again that it is only willing to take the measures that will make our town pretty for its tourists — not livable for its residents.”
“I call foul on the city for engaging in this aggressive, underhanded attempt to further gentrify West Asheville.”
“When local workers can’t find housing they can afford and our less fortunate population — including families with children — is one rent check away from living on the street, this predicament has reached critical mass.”
2018’s annual joint meeting of Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners highlighted issues of racial equity, police use-of-force and zoning conflicts affecting Buncombe residents.
“STRs should be crowded out of existence by affordable housing density, not regulated like a bureaucratic scapegoat.”
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.
The Buncombe County Board of Adjustment unanimously denied a project asking for second conditional use permit. The project has raised concerns among many in the Ridgecrest community and is likely to still move forward with its original permit.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved an economic incentive package and struggled with a rezoning request that highlighted zoning’s gray areas.
Through their elected leaders, Asheville voters will now have more say-so over development projects downtown and new hotels citywide.
After more than a year of public input and review, proposed development changes that would bring more downtown projects before Council for review will go to a vote on Tuesday, Feb. 14. The new rules also include a provision for Council to review all hotel projects with 21 rooms or more anywhere in the city.
Through two discussion sessions and a survey on its online public input platform, the city of Asheville is soliciting feedback on strategies to increase housing density and, it hopes, ease the city’s housing crisis.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners is back to seven members after Tim Moffitt was officially sworn in to replace Miranda DeBruhl, who abruptly resigned last month. Commissioner Moffitt said, “It’s and honor to serve with you and I look forward to contributing where I can.” The Tuesday, June 7, meeting also featured members of the public expressing concerns about rezoning a parcel of land in east Asheville and continued budget talks ahead of a June 30 deadline to approve a spending plan for fiscal year 2017.
“No one should have the right to open a hotel-like business in a family-zoned neighborhood unless a zoning variance is issued.”
Another issue that put the commissioners’ divide on display was a resolution concerning the creation of a Utility Energy Innovation Task Force. The venture is a partnership with Duke Energy and the City of Asheville aimed at, “working to delay or avoid the construction of an additional fossil fuel powered combustion turbine electricity generating facility at the Asheville Plant site in 2023.”
At the Tuesday, Feb. 2 Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting, the Board will consider an economic development incentive for Hi-Wire Brewing — an item that was dropped from the January agenda, facility needs surveys for both Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools, and a zoning request east of Black Mountain.
Prior to the Tuesday, Jan. 19 Buncombe County Commissioners’ retreat, staff in various departments sat down and took a good look at the county’s priorities, coming up with ideas and alternatives of how to accomplish these goals in 2016 (and beyond).
The agenda for the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ Tuesday, Jan. 19 retreat reads like a year in review: affordable housing, zoning actions, greenway projects, waste reduction and encouraging employers to pay a living wage.
At the Tuesday, Jan. 5 Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting, the Board voted to fill county “doughnut holes,” fund the Asheville Museum of Science and allow the Department of Health and Human Services to reallocate its positions for increased efficiency.
“Permitting duplexes in the proposed three single -family residential zoning districts is unwarranted and unnecessary, as they are currently permitted in eight other districts.”