The plot to sell Asheville to airbnb
City hall tries to sneak through a new measure, written by airbnb landlords, to bring in even more airbnbs and kick locals out on the street Graphic by Orion Solstice Tomorrow, Dec. 14, sees the last Asheville city council meeting of the year. It’s bad,…
What we don’t talk about
Behind the controversies that weren’t discussed, the Airbnb presentation that wasn’t presented and the closed door dilemmas looming over a brief, bizarre Asheville City Council meeting Above: Asheville City Council. File photo by Max Cooper As a place where systems of power touch the ground, a local…
Turnabout
The Airbnb wars take a decisive turn as Council passes a new ban in an attempt to halt a wave of housing losses Above: Asheville City Council member Vijay Kapoor, who asserted that the nearly-citywide ban on whole home/apartment Airbnbs was necessary due to the…
Escalation time
A major Airbnb showdown is delayed (until tonight) as new information emerges that the industry is gobbling up more housing than before and the river remains a major battleground in the city’s future Above: a key part of the Oct. 24 presentation on the city’s…
Assumptions, assumptions
A buried clause, obscured by city staff, spurs the latest chapter in the Airbnb wars and provides a revealing glimpse into who gets a say in Asheville’s growth Above: a map of the proposed Haywood Road rezoning that ended up the latest flashpoint in the…
Down the road
Three major political issues — wrangling over the budget, short-term rentals and the ‘Pit of Despair’ — take center stage for Council, but many answers wait for another day Above: a slide on ending the ‘Pit of Despair’ reputation of the city property across from…
Ultimatum season
Once again, a state legislator plans to force district elections on Asheville and the Airbnb issue reopens, in a Council meeting marked by old battles coming back for another round Above: Mayor Esther Manheimer, file photo by Max Cooper. The Feb. 28 Asheville City Council meeting,…
Shape of the beast
Airbnb-style rentals are a massive, controversial issue in Asheville. The Blade’s built a map to show where they’re being halted, who’s profiting, who owns them and more as local government continues to wrangle with this complicated behemoth Above: a shot from the Blade‘s interactive map…
Under pressure
Tensions escalate over short-term rentals and the city budget as Council decides exactly how far it will go — for now Above: Mayor Esther Manheimer, who cast the deciding vote against allowing Airbnb-style rentals in the city’s garage and basement apartments Rowdy is not usually…
We are a city of renters
From Airbnb to city boards, too much of our politics focuses on property owners, but renters are half the city’s population. It’s time to listen to them seriously. City Hall under renovation. Photo by Bill Rhodes. If you haven’t heard, Airbnb and its ilk are…
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