Tired of the Vacant Lots on Charlotte Street?
This is what the city says when questioned about the status of these properties:
The project at the former Fuddruckers site at 120 Charlotte St received conditional zoning and approved zoning plans were issued August 2022. They have not yet submitted any permits. As such their zoning approval has expired and they will need to go through the final TRC review and final zoning approval process again. Conditional zoning on this property allows the City to rezone the property within 2 years, however, there are no plans to take that action at this time.
The permit issued on 9-10-24 (Killian) at 223 East Chestnut St. (address cited in level 1 permit application) does not expire until December 2027.
Our City of Asheville website invites community members with Zoning and Development compliance issues to visit the Asheville App to submit a zoning or development code complaint to the Compliance Division. At this time, the City does not have any complaints on records for these two lots. (red empahsis added)
Staff aim to follow up filed complaints with the reporting party during business hours (M-F 8:30 am – 5:00 pm; closed public holidays) should they need additional information. Staff may arrange to perform investigations outside normal business hours, however, they are not on-call.
Click here to review Asheville’s code of ordinances for more information about zoning and development ordinances.
No complaints? Seriously. We need to change that situation!
We find ourselves back in the saddle. When we first arrived in Asheville 13 years ago, we fought, yes, fought with the city to do something, anything, about the BP gas station on Charlotte Street, defunct and a solid public nuisance for 10 years. Finally, Gan Shan opened and now Jettie Rae, both employed residents, provided a needed service and contributed to the tax base. This is what CAN happen.
So, we will file a complaint which will be more professional than what is stated below, but this is the gist of our complaint. And since we live a block down the street, we believe we are obliged to our employees, customers and the surrounding community to do what we can to turn these properties into productive citizens! Enough time has passed.
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Abandoned or stagnant property is not in the public interest. No jobs. No services. No retail. No housing. And No contribution to the tax base leaving the residents to carry the load. Here, we are talking about not just the Fuddrucker property and the properties that once sited the Victorian houses, but also the property that everybody knows is owned by Ingles, all of which are plainly visible and disappointing when you exit the interstate onto Charlotte Street, perhaps for their first visit to Asheville.
In many other cities around the country, the city itself lodges a complaint against the property owner to compel some kind of production - on behalf of the tax-paying residents acting in the public interest. What's holding the city of Asheville inert?
And we wonder if the city obligated the Asheville taxpayers to an open ended contract. Why can the developers sit on the property waiting for an interest rate that suits their budget? Is there no clause in these contracts that says, yada yada, stuff happens but, if you have not started building by (fill in the date), this contract is void and/or penalties begin to accrue daily. Contracts 101.
Asheville can return to the glory days but not if we continue to back and fill. The historic Notre Dame was completely rebuilt in 5 years. Completely. Common sense, a vision for the future and a commitment to the tax-paying residents first are sorely needed at City Hall.
After the devastation of Helen, NOW is the time to, literally, look alive.