What is the biggest challenge facing Asheville in 2008?

getting city council to quit sticking their fingers into anything and everything

Well, let’s be more specific. What is the biggest social and/or economic challenge facing Asheville?

martyweil - 06 January 2008 06:42 PM

Well, let’s be more specific. What is the biggest social and/or economic challenge facing Asheville?

Sundance had the correct answer, ‘the city council.’

They are, collectively, Asheville’s biggest problem. All other problems pale in comparison. In fact, without city council, we’d have a great deal FEWER problems.

Let’s look at some examples:

1. see a pothole in the street? chances are a city councilperson recently drove down that street and their vehicle gouged that hole. Take away councilpeople’s cars—better streets, less use of fossil fuels, lower emissions… etc.

2. smog? we call it ‘city council breath.’

3. Asheville’s running out of water? Most of the city council people take showers every day. If city council did not bathe we would have more water and a lot SHORTER city council meetings due to the smell—both results, net gains.

4. prolonged cold weather? caused by the chilly reception city council affords logical ideas for improvement of the metropolitan area.

5. heat wave during summer? city council, hot air—need I say more. IN FACT, if we could get the council to switch hot air to winter and chilly reception to ideas to summer, Asheville would have a quite pleasant climate year round. But, of course, city council would never be so accommodating, eh?

6. Wars and pestilence overseas, the last three ice ages and the demise of the dinosaurs, asteroids threatening the earth, the eventual extinction of our sun in about another 20 billion years ... yep, all due to various policies formulated by the city council.

I can only tell it like it is.

I think the likelihood that the local real estate bubble is going to burst is a pretty big challenge. I hear a lot of rumblings that the housing market isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, and one or two more chips in the local economy might just prove that to be true.

Steve is right. The situation in the housing market could be a disaster, especially for downtown. I’ve been searching for a home for several months, and I can tell you first hand that things are shaky. It feels like big trouble is brewing.

martyweil - 08 January 2008 06:18 PM

Steve is right. The situation in the housing market could be a disaster, especially for downtown. I’ve been searching for a home for several months, and I can tell you first hand that things are shaky. It feels like big trouble is brewing.

Anything specific that’s making you feel that way?

I’m largely concerned because our economy is so driven by tourist money. When there’s a money crunch, one of the first things to go down the tubes is tourism, and that include things like vacation condo rentals (a large source of revenue for all those fancy downtown condos).

Steve Shanafelt - 08 January 2008 06:21 PM

martyweil - 08 January 2008 06:18 PM

Steve is right. The situation in the housing market could be a disaster, especially for downtown. I’ve been searching for a home for several months, and I can tell you first hand that things are shaky. It feels like big trouble is brewing.

Anything specific that’s making you feel that way?

I’m largely concerned because our economy is so driven by tourist money. When there’s a money crunch, one of the first things to go down the tubes is tourism, and that include things like vacation condo rentals (a large source of revenue for all those fancy downtown condos).

Actually guys its pretty much been in a down turn for about the last three months.  It was down somewhere like 10 percent I read somewhere but that was mainly for the market of over 250,000.  Also just go online and look at the number of foreclosures in Buncombe county.  It’s quite staggering.

But we still not to do something about the money wasting nut jobs in the city council chambers.

Steve Shanafelt - 08 January 2008 06:21 PM

I’m largely concerned because our economy is so driven by tourist money. When there’s a money crunch, one of the first things to go down the tubes is tourism, and that include things like vacation condo rentals (a large source of revenue for all those fancy downtown condos).

i’m less concerned about asheville’s economy being subject to national trends since the area has become more saturated with money. rich people aren’t as affected by the trends and they will continue spending their money here even when the lower and middle classes are staying home. much of asheville’s resident base (as opposed to tourist traffic) has become much wealthier over the last couple of decades and they won’t stop eating in restaurants and using local services just because the national housing market or the dollar is weak ... it’s a lifestyle more than an annual two-week escape for these folks ... the transplants from california and other points west still think that $250,000 for a condo is a steal, and they will keep coming ...

lumina - 09 January 2008 04:24 PM

... the transplants from california and other points west still think that $250,000 for a condo is a steal, and they will keep coming ...

Having lived in California for many years and still having some family there, I can tell you that what you said may have been true up through a couple of years ago, but the bottom has dropped out of the housing market there, especially southern California, and there’s not nearly so much an incentive nowadays to look for cheaper housing elsewhere. That may also be true of some parts of the Northeast. So I don’t know how this translates into affecting the Asheville economy, probably not all that much, because I don’t think lower housing costs are near the top of the list for reasons people move here. The costs here have never been all that low as compared to some other parts of the Southeast.

I think one of the bigger challenges we’re facing is that Asheville is slowly, painfully trying to become a bigger and more financially relevant city, but without much local support. It’s like there’s a handful of powerful people who want Asheville to have the investment pull of Charlotte, but that the majority of the actual residents don’t really want it to grow at anywhere near that rate, and like it as the comfortable, smallish city it is today.

I think Steve makes a very astute point. Asheville is being pulled in opposite directions. It seems likely that growth will lead to problems, but it also seems that growth is inevitable because Asheville is such a desirable place. Ironically, the more it grows the less desirable it will likely become; however, that tipping point is a long way away, so doesn’t appear to be much of a threat (but, of course, it is). And that’s what makes Steve’s assessment so poignant.

Having lived in Charlotte for 4 years, I can say with some certainty that I don’t think Asheville would be wise to emulate that model, not if it wants to retain its essential character and livability.

I’d be interested to know what others think can be done to get us all pulling in the same direction, if anything. Or is the Asheville we know and love doomed to no longer exist 20 years hence?

Trying to find homes for all the people heading for the hills this year.