City cancels Dec. 31 event,
citing dwindling attendance

Asheville officials announced last week that the city is cancelling its annual Downtown Countdown New Yearís Eve Celebration, citing dwindling attendance.

The event has been cancelled in light of low turnout in recent years, the possibility of bad weather on New Yearís Eve and ongoing construction at City-County Plaza, according to officials with Asheville Parks and Recreation, which produced the event.

At last yearís Downtown Countdown, heavy rains prevented a Battle of the Bands event from happening and only about 100 people attended the fireworks display. By contrast, in 2005, about 1,000 people turned out.

URTVís board of directors
boots outspoken member

The board of directors for URTV, Ashevilleís public-access television station, voted unanimously last week to oust board member Peter Brezny, a vocal critic of the stationís leadership and financial practices.

Brezny said his removal on Nov. 12 was the result of questions he had raised about the leadership abilities of Executive Director Pat Garlinghouse and her adherence to the stationís guidelines and bylaws.

However, a statement by the board accused Brezny of misrepresenting the boardís approved positions and objections and said that his actions and statements were not in the interest of the station.

The board also expressed confidence in Garlinghouse, who took over the executive director position in January. She replaced Kurt Mann, who resigned in October over a dispute with the board.

URTV began broadcasting on July 31, 2006, joining the government and education channels that are operated by the city and Buncombe County on Charter Communications, the local cable provider.

County zoning board OKís
Sardis Road development

Plans for a 348-unit apartment complex in Enka moved forward last Wednesday, as the Buncombe County Board of Adjustment approved the project, but delayed a vote on another proposed development planned for the Reynolds community.

A handful of residents who live near the 29-acre property off Sardis Road said it would crowd local schools and create traffic congestion.

However, board members noted that the state plans to widen nearby roads and said that school issues do not fall within the boardís jurisdiction.

The N.C. Department of Transportation plans to expand 1.2 miles of Sand Hill Road between Enka Lake Road and the Sardis Road intersection to three lanes in coming months, Rick Tipton, a construction engineer for DOT, said.

A short section of Sardis will be widened and a number of intersections nearby will be improved. However, construction probably will not reach the apartment complex site.

Greensboro-based firm Carroll Capital Investments plans to build 15 apartment buildings on the property. Though the landís zoning allows for apartment complexes, the size of the project required approval from the board.

Meanwhile, Roy Carroll, the developer of a 312-unit complex proposed for 65 acres near The Cliffs subdivision on the north side of U.S. 74-1, requested that the board delay voting on his project after several board members said they had unanswered questions about it.

About 25 people, mostly nearby residents, came to express objections to that plan. Speakers cited traffic congestion and density as reasons for their opposition to the plan.

Carroll reportedly met with neighbors after the meeting.

Downtown board OKs plan
for Pack Square land swap

Ashevilleís Downtown Commission passed a resolution Nov. 9 calling for City Council to pursue a land swap with the developer of the Parkside Condominiums proposed for near City Hall that would allow for the the building to be constructed south of its planned location.

The resolution cites the current proposalís potential effects on the ìaesthetics and usability of the Pack Square Park,î and urges the city to negotiate a plan that would allow the building to be set back form the park.

Plans for the 11-story condominium have raised concerns about its impact on the park, including objections that a tract of parkland ó on which a large magnolia tree sits ó was sold to the developer by the Buncombe County Commissioners in violation of the agreement the county made with George Willis Pack when he donated the land for use as a public park.

A group of Packís descendents have filed a lawsuit against the county, hoping to nullify that sale.

Merrimon plans greeted
with skepticism by many

Attendees at a meeting last Thursday to discuss possible changes to building rules for Merrimon Avenue said that the corridor should be easier and safer to walk along.

However, the roughly 40 participants disagreed about proposed rules that would require buildings to be closer to the street and higher to encouraged mixed uses.

Several property owners expressed objections to previous plans that they said would have placed undue burdens on them to achieve changes along the street.

And others said that some of the new buildings on Merrimon, which were built in the style the proposed rules were intended to encourage, make the street feel even more crowded and unwelcoming.

The city has been trying for at least two years to get a new zoning plan for Merrimon in place.

Earlier this year, City Council considered a plan that would have required buildings be closer to the street and taller, with sidewalks and planting strips.

But council dropped that plan when several business owners expressed objections to it, prompting the city to call for last Thursdayís meeting.

Several residents said that the volume and speed of traffic on Merrimon makes it unsafe for pedestrians.

But business owners said that enforced building rules would place an unfair burden on them and proposed a system of tax incentives instead.