Asheville City Council Suspends Consideration of Land Use Incentive Grants for Micro-Apartments
For all the rhetoric, Asheville City Council found yet another reason to unlevel the playing field against affordable housing development. This time, it was decided that micro-apartments, a housing design newly-introduced to the Asheville market, needed more study and regulation, at least before the city would consider awarding the developers Land Use Incentive Grants.
Incentivizing the Incentives
A private developer wants to build a distribution center in the hopes a company will move in and, not so much create high-salary jobs as support those jobs through its customer base. The plans required the approval of Asheville City Council, whose members expressed a preference for companies that use public dollars because the negotiation of incentives gives council leverage over their business culture.
Asheville City & Citizens Debate Funding Police for Safety
After publicly committing to defund the Asheville Police Department, city council attempted to refund the police force somewhat. This motivated members of the Defund movement to organize and voice opposition during public comment.
Asheville Behind on Sanitation, Public Safety & Pickleball
From the pickleball fields to the woods behind the malls to Anywhere, Asheville, citizens were complaining Tuesday about a lack of sanitation and public safety.
Asheville Phases in Single-Use Plastic Ban
Asheville City Council approved a ban on plastic leaf collection bags. The body also directed staff to vet a proposed ban on disposable plastic shopping bags and styrofoam foodservice products. Several spoke during public comment, and all were not only in favor of the bans but anxious that the city implement the bans ASAP.
Asheville Pushing Volunteers of America to Limits
As Buncombe County is about to ask voters to approve a bond referendum to help the government grow its vertically-integrated, not-for-profit real estate business, the Asheville City Council is trying to figure out ways to drive costs up so that subsidies may abound.
Asheville Pours $7.6M in Subsidies for Affordable Projects
Asheville City Council essentially approved $7.6 million in subsidies for two projects that will create 265-275 units of affordable housing.
Council Affirms “Reproductive Freedom”
Council responds to the recent overturn of Roe v. Wade with a proclamation in defense of woman's reproductive freedom.
Council Adopts Budget with Flair
After the City of Asheville listened to activists and allocated millions for new budget items like reparations, reimagining the police, and the latest concepts in homeless shelters, protesters still protested with a stirring in the council chambers as the budget was about to be adopted.
Council Approves Micro-Housing Subsidy
Developer David Moritz is working on a development of naturally-affordable housing. Called micro-housing, the apartments would give residents a private bedroom, bathroom, and kitchenette; and each floor would have a community kitchen and lounge area. Asheville City Council approved granting the development tax abatement as incentives for subsidizing 20% of the units.