The biggest issue at the formal meeting of Asheville City Council tonight was where to put a driveway. Developers wished to build a new mall where an old mall exists. They also wanted to move a driveway. They said this was imperative to comply with the parking field required by its anchor store. The current driveway is used as one of two routes of ingress and egress for an adjacent lot. The business thereon had entered into an agreement for the use of a portion of the parking lot on the strip mall’s property. The agreement was allowed to lapse. Regardless, the adjacent felt they were entitled to the use of the strip mall’s property by virtue of the developer’s need to be a good neighbor.
My wee little brain can come up with only three reasons for the protracted debate: (1) In the City of Asheville, community rights trump property rights until the matter is taken to court and the city loses, (2) the folks claiming a right to their neighbor’s property were generous campaign contributors, or (3) the developer intentionally jerked the driveway to strangle the neighbor out of business so he could buy their property on the cheap.
