Asheville City Council Agenda: Public Hearing A. Public hearing to conditionally zone 1 Oak Street from Central Business District to Central Business Expansion/Conditional Zone for the purpose of approving a conceptual master plan for the development of several multi-story buildings consisting of residential, hotel, retail and office uses. (Staff memo, Presentation)

City Council is being asked to approve a rezoning request for a 10.5 acre parcel containing three properties. The long term plan is to build five buildings: a six-story building with residential and retail spaces, a second six-story building with office and commercial spaces, a third six-story building with residential and commercial spaces, a nineteen-story building with residential and commercial spaces, and a twenty-story hotel.

City staff and the developer are asking for approval to move this project forward despite several concerns from local residents of the East End / Valley Street neighborhood, Asheville’s oldest historic Black community. Residents of this neighborhood have voiced a preference for more affordable housing in their community, and not the construction of a new hotel. When this proposed development went before the Design Review Committee in May, that body approved it with a list of conditions, one of which was that they engage and consult with the East End / Valley Street neighborhood. This condition is not included in the list of project conditions being put forward by staff to the City Council. It needs to be. And until developers meet that condition, and develop a plan that takes local residents’ concerns into account, the rezoning request and the project as a whole should not move forward.

Asheville City Council Agenda: New Business B. Strategic Event Partnership Program. Resolution authorizing City Manager to discontinue the City of Asheville’s Strategic Event Partnership Program (Staff memo)

The City is proposing to discontinue its Strategic Event Partnership Program, and shift the way it supports events and festivals that are “not official City of Asheville holiday productions.” Going forward, organizations running such events will no longer get in-kind support and fee waivers from the City, but will need to apply for City-funded grants that will be administered by the Asheville Area Arts Council.

It’s unclear to us how this will impact the bottom-line for various events that are “not official City of Asheville holiday productions.” One of the events that seems likely to face additional costs is the annual Goombay Festival, Asheville’s long standing celebration of African Caribbean culture. We think this festival is so vital to the region that it is entitled to additional support, and encourage the City to work with the YMI Cultural Center, which hosts the Goombay Festival, to get their input on this proposed change. Until they do, this change should be put on hold.

Update: Council Member Kim Roney publishes “An Amendment: A Necessary Path Towards Reimagining Public Safety for All” in response to “Both/And Solutions for Public Safety Are Growing,” Open Letter from Five Members of the Asheville City Council

We responded to the open letter in last week’s GAP Report. We wanted to share Council Member Roney’s response with you for your consideration.

We are still evaluating the City’s approach to public safety, and the overlapping issue of panhandling. We will share any conclusions we reach in a future report.