Asheville City Councilman Dr. Carl Mumpower didn’t notice the sign stating, “Abandon all hope all ye who enter,” and passed into the council chambers as if he were still on a terrestrial plane.
In light of the current economic slouch, the second of two Asheville developers had asked council to give him a year’s continuance on a major development. This developer, however, decided instead to withdraw his project altogether. His legal representation, former Asheville Mayor Lou Bissette, said his client did not believe he could realistically restructure his project to conform to the harmony and scale demanded by council. Demands on the project, which included 500 underground parking spaces, $3 million in public benefits, and LEED certification, required density for funding, and downtown a key to density is the ability to build up. There was no way the project could be made to work the way council demanded at the last public hearing, and too much time, money, and energy had already been wasted in the design phase. Too many delays introduced by the development review process had pushed the project into times of economic uncertainty. Delays introduced by indecision over the I-26 connector project were thwarting this developer’s ability to proact change with another large commercial tract he owned. With all due respect, he asked council to be more considerate of those who want to risk their money enhancing the economy of their city.
It was a splendid dissertation. It deserved a standing ovation.
Instead, Mayor Terry Bellamy pointed her finger at Dr. Carl Mumpower. He had said the city’s convoluted and whimsical development review process placed investors in the position of having to offer the city bribes or succumb to extortion. Mumpower had stooped to name-calling and slandered staff and members of the development community! Shame on Mumpower! The conversation went on and on.
After Mumpower tried at length to explain to his comrades what is known to all John Lockers, Bissette returned to the microphone. He said it is well-known among developers that they can get projects approved with an affordable housing component. One of his clients’ projects had been rejected for lack of an affordable housing component. Yet, nowhere in the city’s code of ordinances is an affordable housing component explicitly mentioned. Bellamy responded, saying maybe the city ought to codify something to the effect.
