Category: Government

In a packed three hours, Asheville City Council hits issues including burying power lines, housing, graffiti and the surveillance of protesters Above: power lines over a stretch of grass behind the Aloft Hotel and city parking deck at 51 Biltmore Avenue. The city will pay $250,000…

After buskers mobilize against possible restrictions on their art, an Asheville Council committee decides not to pursue new rules further. Above: buskers fill the room before yesterday’s meeting of Asheville City Council’s Public Safety Committee. Photo by Max Cooper. Usually, Asheville City Council’s committee meetings…

With new restrictions possible, Asheville’s buskers become the latest flashpoint in the debate over the future of downtown and its culture. Above: The Stillwater Hobos performing in a still from Erin Derham’s documentary Buskin Blues. The movie delves into Asheville’s busking culture at a time when…

With the city of Asheville considering more incentives for “affordable” and “workforce” housing, it’s worth looking at what that means. Above: An image from the city of Asheville’s documents of the proposed site of 32 “workforce” housing units on the back of the Aloft Hotel…

As Asheville catches TIGER grants and plans big changes, a look at city government’s long grapple with the infrastructure beast Above: an image of Riverside Drive and the front of the city’s development plan. The staff and elected officials of the city of Asheville were…

Despite concerns about affordability and process, Asheville City Council votes for higher-than-average incentives for the 209 unit RAD Lofts project. Above: The site of the future RAD Lofts development, with dissenting graffiti painted on its sign. By the time the RAD Lofts project came to…

Amid controversy Asheville City Council overhauls Pack Place leases, lauds police plan Above: Asheville Council member Jan Davis, countering critics of the new Pack Place leases and asserting that it’s the best way to go forward. Photo by Max Cooper. Pack Place, located in the middle…

By David Forbes The Asheville Citizen-Times reported this morning that Asheville Council member Cecil Bothwell was charged with driving while impaired. Bothwell, driving a friend’s car, was pulled over last night by a state trooper with a blood alcohol level of .10. Bothwell, in a…