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Tuesday, 29 August 2006 21:14 |
By JEREMY MORRISON
A group of residents of the Five Points neighborhood in North Asheville are sponsoring a boycott of the Merrimon Staples in conjunction with Asheville City Councilës decision to approach the business regarding zoning violations.
Council addressed the issue during its Aug. 22 meeting.
A day earlier, the residents met to form a neighborhood association to
oppose the Staples store.
"We see the boycott as complementary to the cityës actions to bring
Staples into compliance," said Heather Rayburn, a board member of the
Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods and president of the newly formed
Five-Points Neighborhood Association.
Gathered in the den of a neighborhood resident, the group took care of
formalities ÇƒÓ appointing officers, deciding upon dues and assigning
block captains ÇƒÓ before jumping into the meat of the meeting, the
boycott.
The residentsë main objection to the store concerned aesthetics.
Specifically, the group claims Staplesë signage ÇƒÓ as well as various
building specifications ÇƒÓ does not comply with area zoning regulations.
"They canët throw this urban design into a suburban neighborhood," Rayburn said. "It shows a whole lack of respect."
Apparently, city officials agree. Following a presentation by visiting
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill professor David Owens ÇƒÓ who
pointed out a number of zoning infractions at three separate Asheville
businesses ÇƒÓ council decided to address the issues in lieu of stepping
into the legal arena.
"We elected staff to go to Staples and say ǃÚweëre serious,ë"
Councilwoman Robin Cape said. "I donët know what our options are,
legally, but if we donët get a reply back from Staples, you better
believe weëll find out what our options are."
Council is focusing its efforts on three businesses: Staples, Greenlife
Grocery and Prudential Realty. However, members of the FPNA expressed
that while the issues at Greenlife and Prudential ÇƒÓ loading dock and
signage issues, respectively ÇƒÓ are fairly approachable problems,
Staples presents more of a quandary.
The business model of the chain store goes against the grain of how
Five Point residents view their neighborhood, according to some FPNA
members.
"The irritating thing about Staples is ..." Rayburn paused, considering
how to phrase her complaint. "Our neighborhood is so walkable. Staples
is so anti-pedestrian. Itës old-school. The new way of thinking in
urban planning is to give something for people to look at."
Since the business first arrived in the neighborhood, many residents have attempted to affect a change.
"Itës a long, complicated story," Rayburn said, recounting how Staples
sent a group of executives to Asheville to meet with concerned
residents last winter.
The group met with the executives, giving a presentation suggesting
various ways the company could better conform to the neighborhood.
"Staples was really responsive at that point," said Rayburn
The group offered artists renditions of alternative signage they felt
was less intrusive and in compliance with area zoning regulations. They
suggested a green screen along the buildingës expansive walls, as well
as landscaping advice.
"A lot of people talked about a mural," Rayburn said. "But they were, like, ǃÚNo, we canët do art, itës just way too risky.ë"
The meeting went well enough, but never resulted in any changes. In
conjunction with CAN, Rayburn filed an appeal with the cityës Board of
Adjustments. Because she did not live in close enough proximity to the
storeës location ÇƒÓ and because she could not prove her property had
been adversely affected, the appeal went nowhere.
The frustration with the system echoed through the Five Points meeting.
"Itës always a mistake to go chasing the legalities," said resident
Charlie Thomas. "Theyëre always stacked against you. The way to do it
is politically."
On that note, the group waited to launch its boycott, to see if they
considered the Aug. 22 council meeting unfavorable. However, some
members of the group put little stock in the meeting.
"Tomorrow nightës going to be just another meeting," Thomas argued. "My
notion is, when the signs come down, and they obey the law, thatës when
we end the boycott."
In the end, the newborn association decided the boycott could work in tandem with pressure applied through official channels.
Rayburn said the boycott will be called off when the company "signs off
on a good-faith plan of action and timeline to bring their building
into compliance with our development laws."
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