Asheville City Council - February 11th Meeting
February 17, 2025
Here’s what we found to be the most important housing-related items at Asheville’s City Council meeting of Tuesday, February 11, 2025.
Here’s what we found to be the most important housing-related items at Asheville’s City Council meeting of Tuesday, February 11, 2025.
Commercial Zoning Amendments
Project Level Thresholds
Outcome: Continued
Votes:
In favor (of continuance): Esther E. Manheimer, Maggie Ullman, Sage Turner, Bo Hess, S. Antanette Mosley, Sheneika Smith, Kim Roney
Parking Minimums
Outcome: Continued
Votes:
In favor (of continuance): Esther E. Manheimer, Maggie Ullman, Sage Turner, Bo Hess, S. Antanette Mosley, Sheneika Smith, Kim Roney
Commercial Zoning District Updates
Outcome: Continued
Votes:
In favor (of continuance): Esther E. Manheimer, Maggie Ullman, Sage Turner, Bo Hess, S. Antanette Mosley, Sheneika Smith, Kim Roney
City Council members decided to delay the commercial zoning reform package that was scheduled to be heard. That hearing is now set for March 11th.
We won’t review those reforms here, but they’re very important. You can read about them in our recap of the city’s January Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.
It appears as though the delay is due to pressure from neighborhood interest groups, who have asserted that they weren’t properly informed about the proposed changes.
While the vote to delay (or “continue,” to use the official language) was unanimous on Tuesday, the actual decision to delay these amendments until March took place at the City Council Agenda Briefing on Thursday, February 6th. These agenda briefings take place five days before each and every council meeting, and they are open for the public to view on the city’s YouTube channel. And for what it’s worth, the discussion around these amendments did reveal some differences between how some of the councilors were thinking.
But rather than recap that meeting too, we’ll simply leave you with our favorite quote from the meeting, courtesy of Councilor Maggie Ullman:
We know that generations of having huge amounts of our zoning for single family has created this really concerning scarcity. So it’s almost like, are we chasing a unicorn? If we don’t want to pursue a supply strategy then let’s just call it. . . . What does this unicorn look like?
Residential Zoning Amendments: Cottage Courts and Flag Lots
Cottage Development Standards
Outcome: Continued
Votes:
In favor (of continuance): Esther E. Manheimer, Maggie Ullman, Sage Turner, Bo HessAgainst: S. Antanette Mosley, Sheneika Smith, Kim Roney
