Asheville City Council
February 22, 2022
Regular meeting
Other City businessWaterBudget and taxesHousing
What it did
- Adopts a budget amendment.Passed. Voted no: S. Antanette Mosley.
- Motion to approve the conditional zoning request for the property located at 363 Hilliard Avenue failed.Failed. Voted no: Esther Manheimer, Sheneika Smith, Kim Roney, Sage Turner.
- Motion to adopt Ordinance No. 4929, to include the requirement that the franchise agreement be considered by City Council prior to the expiration…Failed. Voted no: Esther Manheimer, S. Antanette Mosley, Sage Turner.
- Approves a request by Haywood Street Community Development for $1.3M in funding to purchase land and a $904,000 Housing Trust Fund loan…Passed. Everyone present voted yes.
- Votes recorded
- 11
- Voted on separately
- 5
- Routine items, one vote
- 6
- Votes that split
- 3
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
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
Recognition of Councilwoman Mosley receiving the Rosa Parks Award given by the dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County
“Mayor Manheimer was pleased to announce that Councilwoman Mosley was one of four local women who has been selected as a recipient of the annual Rosa Parks Award, given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County.”
CONSENT AGENDA
6 routine items, passed together in one vote.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Public hearing to consider conditional zoning multiple properties located at 363 Clingman Avenue, 32 Clingman Avenue, 99999 Clingman Avenue, 99999 Hilliard Avenue, and 99999 Pearl Street from Central Business District to central business…
“Urban Planner Will Palmquist said that this is the consideration of an ordinance to 2-22-22 Page 11 conditionally zoning multiple properties located at 363 Clingman Avenue, 32 Clingman Avenue, 99999 Clingman Avenue, 99999 Hilliard Avenue, and 99999 Pearl Street from Central Business District to…”
- Vote: Motion to approve the conditional zoning request for the property located at 363 Hilliard Avenue failed.
- Vote: Approves a request by Haywood Street Community Development for $1.3M in funding to purchase land and a $904,000 Housing Trust Fund loan…
- Vote: Rezones 343 & 357 W. Haywood St., with conditions, from Community Business I (CB I) to Community Business II - Conditional Zone (CB II - CZ).
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Failed on second and final reading - ordinance approving blue ridge rickshaw to operate a pedi-cab transportation service in various areas within the city limits
“Mayor Manheimer said that this ordinance was adopted on first reading on February 8, 2022; however, due to state law, franchise agreements require two readings.”
NEW BUSINESS
Reparations commission
“Mayor Manheimer said that a request was received from City staff to continue this item until March 8, 2022, meeting, and it was the consensus of Council to concur with the delay.”
INFORMAL DISCUSSION AND PUBLIC COMMENT
Public comment
- need to clean up downtown
- need for 6-lane track at Memorial Stadium
- need for a compassionate policy for people who are unhoused and who do not have shelter
- Asheville’s background from 1883 to 1898
- City should stop using the Housing First model and use the successful ABCCM and Rescue Mission models to reduce the cost of homelessness that taxpayers are paying
- concerned about the way journalists are treated in our community
- crime data analysis numbers are incorrect
- adopt the technology for allowing hybrid meetings
Voted on separately
Each of these had its own motion and vote.
Passed. Voted no: S. Antanette Mosley.
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “. Action Requested: Adoption of budget amendment in the amount of $1,000,000 in the City’s Special Revenue Fund to transfer available Affordable Housing Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget to the Special Revenue Fund to fully fund the previously approved agreement with Step Up on Second Street, Inc.”
- “Staff had proposed that American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funding be used to fully fund the three-year agreement with Step Up on Second Street, Inc.”
- “Reduces funding available for other affordable housing needs.”
Failed. Voted no: Esther Manheimer, Sheneika Smith, Kim Roney, Sage Turner.
More from the minutes
- “The proposed mix of uses includes residential and retail, which are compatible and similar to the uses in the vicinity.”
- “The project is directly south of The Patton apartments and across Hilliard Avenue from the 360 Hilliard apartments, both of which are a total of four stories in height.”
- “A one-story USPS garage facility is located on Clingman Avenue between the project site and The Patton apartments.”
Failed. Voted no: Esther Manheimer, S. Antanette Mosley, Sage Turner.
Passed. Everyone present voted yes.
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “The Asheville City Council adopted Resolution No. 21-224 on October 26, 2021 committing to grant funding in the amount of $296,000 for due diligence related to this project.”
- “New building construction includes a single, four-story apartment building that is just under 42 feet in height with an overall height of 55 feet (to peak of angled roof).”
- “The total square footage is approximately 49,000 square feet.”
- “A combination of surface (20 spaces) and structured parking (35 spaces) is proposed, which meets the minimum off-street parking requirement of one space per unit.”
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.
Changes the budget in the Water Resources Operating Fund to account for the refunding…
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “Action Requested: Adoption of budget amendment in the amount of $40,431,180 in the Water Resources Operating Fund to account for the refunding of debt. 2-22-22 Page 4 Background:”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “As authorized by the City Manager, a contract was established with Griffin Waste Services in June 2020 for an amount not to exceed $89,000 for rental, routine cleaning, and daily maintenance of the units.”
- “In order to preserve available ARPA funding for other projects, staff is recommending using funding from the Affordable Housing Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for this contract extension.”
Adds money to the budget from Brad Stanback, for bear resistant trash carts.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- What the minutes say it will do: “The purchase of additional carts would allow more residents to rent the carts and shorten the waiting list for a cart.”
- The money, in the minutes' words: “Action Requested: Adoption of a budget amendment to recognize and accept a donation of $30,000 from Mr.”
- “Shortens the waiting list of residents wishing to rent a bear-resistant trash cart.”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- “A review of proposed changes will also be evaluated by a group of local development professionals before being officially approved by the City Engineer.”
- “Since the SSDM is an important document upon which decisions related to development are made, it is recommended that the City Code be amended to include the proposed amendments to Chapter 1 and Chapter 7 of the City Code to formally add references to the SSDM.”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- “The City of Asheville owns a 0.88 acre parcel at 749 Fairview Road and several uses are contained within the site (PIN 9657-58-2870-00000).”
Changes the dates of Council meetings.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
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.