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Tuesday, 24 April 2007 16:42 |
By DAVID FORBES
A new 124-home subdivision will begin construction on pastureland in Candler, as Asheville City Council on April 17 voted 5-2 to approve rezoning necessary for the project to proceed, despite concerns about flooding.
Council also interviewed and voted on five different candidates for the Asheville City Schools Board of Education, finally choosing Jacquelyn Hallum and Precious Folston to serve four-year terms on the board. A key issue was the minority achievement gap among middle and high school students, especially African-American males.
The planned Vistas of Westfield subdivision, located off Dogwood Road,
came under criticism from some council members and a resident for the
possibility that it might increase flood damage. However, its
proponents asserted that the possibility was slim and the project
preserved a large amount of open space by clustering the units together
in two-, four- and eight-unit buildings over 32 acres.
Councilman Carl Mumpower felt the project met all the cityís standards.
ìIím satisfied that it meets all our criteria,î Mumpower said. ìTheyíre
requesting reasonable accommodations here and theyíre not requesting
that big a change.î
But Councilmen Brownie Newman and Bryan Freeborn found the flooding concerns too much to vote in favor of the project.
ìWeíre only talking about a 100-year event here, but weíve had a
100-year flood event fairly recently,î Freeborn said, referring to the
2004 floods that swept through the area. ìWe have to make sure weíre
not devaluing or damaging someone elseís property.î
Earlier, resident Phyllis Martin said that the project is too dense and
asserted that, as the developer will be renting some units, it could
bring crime to the area, which is outside the city limits but still
lies within Ashevilleís zoning jurisdiction.
ìWe feel like this is just too many,î Martin said. ìThatís too much
acreage in a flood zone. Iím concerned about what will happen to my
property, which is right down the creek. We also understood that these
were going to strictly be properties for sale, not for rent. There are
many senior citizens in this area and weíre concerned for our security.î
City staff had earlier reported that they felt the density of the project ìappropriate for this location.î
Later, Chad Pierce, the cityís stormwater engineer, noted that the
project met all the requirements, though he couldnít deny the
possibility it might increase flooding.
ìItís hard to really know for sure ó there might be some increased
surge immediately off the property, though it should dissipate fairly
quickly,î Pierce said. ìUnder professional standards this is a
responsible project ó and I would consider the possibility of it making
flooding worse very negligible.î
For the school-board appointments, council settled on Hallum and
Folston after questioning five candidates. They will replace outgoing
members Dolly Jenkins-Mullen and Ann Van Brock, who recently completed
their terms.
Hallum, director of health careers and diversity management for
Mountain Area Health Education Center, graduated from Asheville High
School herself in 1973. She sees both her profession and her interest
in education as going together.
ìIím very passionate about the success of our students, in growing
members and leaders of our community,î Hallum said. ìThere are not
enough underrepresented minorities in the healthcare field ó and that
ties into the education situation here today in Asheville and in
Buncombe County. This has an impact when Iím trying to get students
educated ó and thereís a lot of research out there that shows a direct
correlation between health and education.î
Meanwhile, Folston, who works as a community support technician for
United Mental Health and has two children in the school system, said
that she has always taken an active role in the community, especially
in encouraging people to pursue education.
ìI started seeing a lack of passion and a lack of a leadership,î
Folston said. ìI started walking up to people on the weekends or just
when I was out and asked: ëwhat are you doing with yourself?í ëAre you
taking the SAT?í ëWhere are you sitting in class?í As I started talking
to them I found a lack of passion. I started to get a hunger to start
solving them. Not just for black kids but for all kids.î
In voting for the candidates, Hallum gained the support of all council
members except Freeborn and Mumpower. The latter voted only for
Folston, after noting that he believes school board members should be
elected instead of appointed.
Mumpower said he was impressed by what he saw as Folstonís passion for
tackling the ìhorrific dropout rates among African-Americans,
especially males.î
Council also considered mediator William Todd Weatherly, John Legerton,
who previously served on the board for 8 years beginning in 1997 and
Brian Sarzynski, a public-relations consultant for a local film company
and a former Mountain Xpress reporter.
In the first round of voting, Folston tied with Legerton. But in the
second round of votes, Folston won the position 5-2, with Vice Mayor
Holly Jones and Councilman Jan Davis voting for Legerton.
Davis and Freeborn both voted for Sarzynski initially.
Both Hallum and Folston will be sworn in May 4 at the school boardís next regular meeting.
In other action, council:
ï Approved 6-1 conveying property to the Health Adventure for the
purposes of setting up a public educational park. Mumpower cast the
dissenting vote, asserting he was uncomfortable with the city conveying
land to a private organization.
ï Approved 6-1 calling for Asheville to be included in two bills before
the General Assembly that would give Charlotte and Chapel Hill the
ability to use incentives to encourage buildings to be built to LEED
energy-efficiency standards and decrease suburban sprawl.
Mumpower cast the dissenting vote, asserting he felt the legislation to be intrusive.
ï Voted 4-3 to delay a hearing on a possible change in zoning for an
industrial site on Rutherford Road in South Asheville to October. The
owners of the site requested more time because the city is looking at
reconsidering the zoning districts in the area on a larger scale in a
fashion that might allow the use of an outdoor storage lot that is not
allowed under current rules.
Jones, Freeborn and Newman all voted against the delay, asserting that the owners had had enough time already.
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