Skip to main content
BY THE RECORDASHEVILLE
← All meetings

Asheville City Council

March 26, 2019

Regular meeting

Other City businessHousingBudget and taxes

What it did

Votes recorded
13
Voted on separately
4
Routine items, one vote
9
Votes that split
1

Why it matters

Regular meetings are where Council votes on laws, the budget, contracts and zoning. Routine items pass together in one vote, called the consent agenda.

The recording

From the City of Asheville's YouTube channel. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play.Open on YouTube

Everything on the agenda

From the minutes, in the order the City lists them. Each item's first lines are the minutes' own words.

PROCLAMATIONS

  1. Proclamation proclaiming March 30, 2019, as “Arbor Day”

    “Councilwoman Mayfield read the proclamation proclaiming March 30, 2019, as "Arbor Day" in the City of Asheville.”

  2. Tree city usa Award 3-26-19

    “Page 2 Mr. Robert (Dillan) Michael of the NC Forest Service presented the City of Asheville with the Tree City USA Award for accomplishments in 2018.”

  3. North Carolina Financial Literacy Council

    “Mayor Manheimer was pleased to announced that Dewana Little has been appointed by Governor Roy Cooper as Chairperson of the North Carolina Financial Literacy Council.”

CONSENT AGENDA

  1. 9 routine items, passed together in one vote.

PUBLIC HEARINGS

  1. Public hearing to consider conditional zoning of property located at 155, 137, 129 and 123 Biltmore Avenue from Central Business District to Central Business District Expansion District/Conditional Zone for the construction of a 56-room…

    “Urban Planner Sasha Vrtunski said that this is the consideration of an ordinance to conditionally zone property located at 155, 137, 129 and 123 Biltmore Avenue Central Business District to Central Business District Expansion District/Conditional Zone for the construction of a 56-room hotel in one…”

  2. Public hearing to consider conditional zoning on property located at 3 Avon Road from commercial business i district to commercial business i/conditional zone for the construction of a new Buncombe County east asheville library branch…

    “BUILDING Councilman Kapoor moved to continue this public hearing until April 9, 2019.”

  3. Public hearing to consider an amendment to (1) Chapter 7, Articles v and XV of the Code of Ordinances making all subdivisions in historic overlay districts and on local historic landmark properties subject to review by the historic…

    “Consideration of zoning text amendments to 1) require the review of proposed subdivisions of property located within locally designated historic districts or individual local landmarks by the Historic Resources Commission (HRC) as part of the overall city subdivision review process; and 2) to make…”

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

  1. Resolution authorizing the City Manager to negotiate and enter into a grant agreement with the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville in the amount of $4.2 Million from several City funding sources and according to verifiable,…

    “PERFORMANCE BASED DISBURSEMENT SCHEDULE, WITH THE FIRST $1.4 MILLION DISBURSED TO HACA IN EARLY MAY 2019 3-26-19 Page 18 ORDINANCE NO. 4737 - BUDGET AMENDMENT TO APPROPRIATE FUND BALANCE RESERVED FOR THE LEE WALKER HEIGHTS PROJECT Mr. Paul D’Angelo, Housing Development Specialist said that this is…”

NEW BUSINESS

  1. Resolution appointing members to the Asheville City Board of Education

    “Vice-Mayor Wisler, Chair of the Boards & Commissions Committee, said that this is the consideration of appointing members to the Asheville City Board of Education.”

INFORMAL DISCUSSION AND PUBLIC COMMENT

  1. Public comment

    “Ms. Sarah Benoit and Mr. Jonathan Wainscott spoke about district elections.”

Voted on separately

Each of these had its own motion and vote.

  1. Lets the City Manager negotiate and enter into a grant agreement with the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville.

    Passed. Everyone present voted yes.

    Who it's for: Households earning up to 60% of the area median income: up to $61,440 a year for a family of four, or $43,020 for one person (HUD's 2026 income limits for tax-credit housing in the Asheville area).

    More from the minutes
    • The money, in the minutes' words: “The total project cost is estimated at approximately $39.7 Million, and the project will be funded through a combination of 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funds, HUD Funds, Housing Authority Funds, Buncombe County grant funds in the amount of $4.2 million and City grant funds in the amount of $4.2 million.”
    • “The Lee Walker Heights Redevelopment will replace the existing 96 public housing units with 212 new affordable mixed-income units serving families earning between 10% and 60% of Area Median Income (AMI).”
    • “Affordable Housing Advisory Committee - February 7, 2019”
    • “Aligns with the purpose of GO Housing Bonds in making improvements to a City identified “High Impact Site: and in other ways, and will show progress on Affordable Housing Bond Projects.”
  2. Rezones 129 and 123 Biltmore Avenue from Central Business District (CBD) to Central Business District Expansion Conditional Zone (CBD EXP CZ).

    Passed. Voted no: Sheneika Smith.

    More from the minutes
    • What the minutes say it will do: “The project will preserve the three historic houses, which are important to downtown’s history.”
    • “Residents of Lexington Station have voiced concerns about trash pickup, noise, light and the landscaping along the S. Lexington side of the project.”
    • “They are also working with the developer and Mountain Housing Opportunities on a mixed-use project in the Central Business District to provide retail, office and affordable housing.”
    • “In response to Vice-Mayor Wisler, Mr Al Sneeden, developer, said that the three historic homes may have a kitchen for a small family or a if a meeting is held in them, they can cater a meal.”
  3. Approves the wording amendments to UDO Articles V, IX and XV to expand standards for subdivisions and subdivision plat approvals to require review…

    Passed. Everyone present voted yes.

    More from the minutes
    • What the minutes say it will do: “The proposed amendment would require that any subdivision of land, designated as a local historic landmark or located in one of the four local historic districts, submit their proposal for review by the HRC, prior to final subdivision plat approval.”
    • “The HRC review process would be quasi-judicial and the decision would be based on the adopted guidelines of the historic district (or historic landmark standards) in which the proposed subdivision is located.”
  4. Adopts Ordinance No. 4737, budget amendment.

    Passed. Everyone present voted yes.

Routine items, passed together

The consent agenda: items Council approves in one vote, without separate discussion. A member can ask to pull an item out for its own vote.

  1. Signs a contract with Patton Construction Group Inc. for the Parking Garages Elevators Renovation Project.

    Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.

    More from the minutes
    • The money, in the minutes' words: “As noted above, a budget amendment in the amount of $300,000 is needed from the Parking Services fund balance to fully fund the construction contract.”
  2. Signs a a50,000 lease with the Asheville-buncombe Youth Soccer Association for the lease of four soccer fields, the concessions and meeting room…

    Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.

    More from the minutes
    • What the minutes say it will do: “The lease agreement will include the terms of the lease, responsibility for ongoing maintenance, responsibility for repairs after flooding events or other acts of God and long-term replacement of the fields.”
    • The money, in the minutes' words: “Additionally, the City will place $15,000 per year into a 3-26-19 Page 8 capital fund to be utilized for the replacement of the soccer fields for a total of $150,000 over a ten year period.”
  3. Amends the by-laws of the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee to add two additional Members for the purpose…

    Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.

    More from the minutes
    • “Approval of a proposed amendment to the AHAC Bylaws to add two (2) additional Committee Members for a total Committee membership of 11 members and also amending this section to add a banker/lender with affordable and/or commercial loan experience to the list of desired members.”
    • “The Affordable Housing Advisory Committee was established in June, 2011, with a 9 member board.”
    • “As the difficulty of developing and building affordable housing continues, AHAC would like to add additional members to the Committee to represent expertise needed to help address our affordable housing crisis.”
  4. Approves issuing up to $22,500,000 multi-family housing revenue bonds to provide financing for redevelopment…

    Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.

    Who it's for: Households earning 50% to 60% of the area median income: $51,200 to $61,440 a year for a family of four (HUD's 2026 income limits for tax-credit housing in the Asheville area).

    More from the minutes
    • “Adoption of a resolution approving the issuance of bonds by the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville for the redevelopment of Lee Walker Heights (LWH) into a new, affordable, multi-family residential development.”
    • “Maple Crest, LLC, is seeking to replace the existing 96 public housing units with 212 new affordable mixed-income units, 7 residential buildings, serving families earning between 10% and 60% of Area Median Income (AMI), 96 of which will continue to have deep subsidies, serving families below 50% of AMI.”
    • “Maple Crest Management, Inc., which will manage the property, is a North Carolina non-profit that also has two members: Mountain Housing Opportunities, Inc. and Maple Crest Affordable Housing, Inc., a non-profit affiliated with the Housing Authority.”
  5. Resolution authorizing the standardization purchase of Plymovent Systems…

    Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.

  6. Lets the City Manager convey an easement on City-owned property at McCormick Place to Duke Energy Progress for electrical infrastructure to support…

    Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.

    More from the minutes
    • “Private developers are building the Bauhaus Townhomes on a parcel located at 72 McCormick Place, adjacent to McCormick Field.”
    • “Construction has begun on the units and the main electricity for the units is coming from the North side of the property.”

The plain-language lines are written by fixed rules from each item's official title, which is on each decision's page. Every vote the minutes record is listed; procedural motions, like approving the minutes or adjourning, are left out.