At last night’s Asheville City Council meeting, Marc Hunt wanted to stripe a parking lot with bike lanes to inspire more college students to ride bikes, and Gordon Smith wanted to put a bus shelter on both sides of the road even though the buses only ran one way. Both these green initiatives were shot down with data. Then, a majority on council denied a developer a waiver of a fee in lieu of greenspace because he wanted to preserve existing infrastructure and mature trees. Now, he will either have to tear up concrete and utilities and axe the trees or pay $50,000. Mayor Terry Bellamy could not believe the way her green friends voted. She kept telling them they voted against mature trees and for little shrubs.
by Leslee Kulba
Wild West blogger