[Dryerase] Asheville City Council

[Shawn G]

Asheville Global Report
www.agrnews.org

Asheville City Council OKs Shiloh development
By Beth Trigg

Asheville, North Carolina, Aug. 20 (AGR)—  About sixty residents of the 
Shiloh community attended Asheville City Council’s last regular meeting on 
Aug. 13 to voice concerns about a new development proposed for the 
neighborhood.  Developer Ron Hubbard, who famously renovated the downtown 
Kress building, installing luxury condominiums that sell for upwards of 
$300,000, was seeking a conditional use permit and rezoning from Council for 
a 168-unit condo development in Shiloh.  Shiloh, a historic working class 
Black neighborhood in South Asheville, has a strong Community Association 
which opposes the development.
Jonnie Walker, the president of the Shiloh Community Association, has been a 
resident of Shiloh for sixty-seven years.  She told council that the 
“density is so great that it will cause problems in our community.”  Walker 
cited the City’s Unified Development Ordinance’s seven conditional use 
findings, much in the news in recent months in connection with opposition to 
the Sayles Bleachery Super Wal-Mart development.  “The proposed buildings 
are not at all compatible with our neighborhood,” said Walker.  Anita 
White-Carter, another lifelong resident of Shiloh, pointed to conditional 
use permit number seven, which prohibits development when it causes an undue 
traffic burden on the surrounding neighborhood.  “Traffic is a huge 
problem,” echoed Georgia Allen. Sophie Dixon of the NAACP also spoke in 
opposition to the development, voicing her concern for “the safety of all of 
the residents of Shiloh” if this development were allowed into the 
neighborhood.
Hubbard says the condos will sell for between $69,000 and $99,000, and 
called the project an “affordable housing development.”  Hubbard told 
council that his development was “the right thing for the community,” 
despite the fact that neighborhood opponents had filed a protest petition. 
Pointing to a map of the neighborhood with the homes of people who had 
signed the protest petition marked with black squares, Hubbard implied that 
the large number of petition-signers in the Wilson Creek Habitat for 
Humanity development were ungrateful charity recipients who had no right to 
oppose his development.  Calling the development “an oasis,” Hubbard 
suggested that his project would be an improvement to the neighborhood.
Shiloh resident Charles Williams defended the neighborhood, saying: “There 
seems to be a misconception that Shiloh is some sort of ghetto.  What Shiloh 
is a community of hard-working people.”  The development, on the other hand, 
Williams called “neighborhood terrorism,” saying “terrorism in this country 
was not limited to 9/11/01.”
About a dozen members of the Faith Tabernacle Christian Church, which 
occupies property which adjoins the proposed development, spoke in favor of 
the project.  William Robinson, the church’s pastor, said, “We are confident 
that the development will be of benefit to the church and to the Shiloh 
community.”
The issue was further complicated by the fact that the Affordable Housing 
Coalition of Asheville and Buncombe County (AHCABC) supported the 
development, with its board of directors passing a unanimous resolution in 
support of Hubbard’s plan. AHCABC interim director Judy Chaet pointed to the 
dire need for affordable housing in the city and the fact that density helps 
provide more housing within city limits.
Frieda Nash, a resident of Shiloh, countered this assumption:  “The 
developer says that density is the only way to get affordability.  Density 
is the only way to get profitability.  We are people living there.  You want 
to make profits.”   Norma Baines added, “To say that you have to buy a condo 
to have affordable housing is not true.  There can be affordable 
single-family homes.  There are no three story buildings in Shiloh.  Shiloh 
wants single family affordable homes so the people of Shiloh can be proud, 
so that we can plant that special tree or flower — we want to leave our 
children homes, not another project.”  Baines suggested that Council should 
examine the size and layout of the condos, suggesting that they were the 
size of “an efficiency apartment, not a home.”
Other speakers brought up concerns about affordable housing in Asheville; 
Leon Williams spoke about searching for a home to buy with his wife, saying 
“there wasn’t anything to be found” within city limits that was within their 
budget, even though he and his wife each work two jobs. “We ended up moving 
to Leicester,” said Williams, who supported the development “and commuting.” 
  The only common ground between opponents and proponents of the project 
seemed to be the dire need for more affordable housing.
But former mayoral candidate Mickey Mahaffey says the situation is more 
complex than just whether or not council supports affordable housing: “Yes, 
there are affordable housing issues here, but above all this is a community 
issue.  Although I might be in favor of density as a means to create 
affordable housing, communities have a right to decide their own fate.  It’s 
patronizing to say politicians or developers know what’s best for a 
community better than community members do.”  Adds community activist Allie 
Morris: “The Shiloh Community Association and the clear majority of 
residents don’t want this development.  This is about community 
empowerment.”
In the end, Council voted unanimously to approve the development and 
rezoning.  Council member Terry Bellamy qualified her vote by saying: “The 
good far outweighs the negative,” and, “we have to take into consideration 
only the seven conditional use findings.  It’s only fair to the developer to 
look only at these issues.”  Mayor Charles Worley was even less apologetic: 
“We are a growing community, a growing state, a growing nation,” said 
Worley, “growth we can’t stop.”
Council member Joe Dunn, not known as a supporter of affordable housing, 
voted in favor of the project as well.  Jeff Kelly, of Community Supported 
Development (CSD), pointed out that Dunn had blocked a density bonus for an 
affordable housing development of much smaller scale earlier in the year, 
saying: “Dunn could not support 37 units or so of affordable housing in 
white, conservative Chunns Cove but his only concern with the Shiloh 
development was that the City was asking the developer for too much money 
per unit— $500 — to be set aside in an escrow account for traffic 
mitigation.  How he and Mumpower were so put out by this, when this was the 
neighborhood’s biggest concern, is beyond me.”
Gregory Payne of Shiloh summed up the frustration that was palpable in the 
crowd:  “This complex will change the character of our neighborhood and it 
seems like we can’t do anything to stop this.  Our hearts are burdened.  I 
spoke to an elder in the neighborhood the other day and she told me that she 
felt like her hands were tied and her voice was not heard.”  Payne implored 
council to allow community members to have some power in determining the 
direction of their own neighborhood, closing his statement with a passionate 
demand:  “Loose the chains.  Loose the shackles.”


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