I was recently amused to see Denny’s had on its breakfast menu an offering called “The Invisible Woman,” supposedly because it is so lean. I thought of that when I looked at the latest Asheville City Council agenda. It’s so lean because it’s election season, and we wouldn’t want any candidates to put their feet in their mouths, would we?
Anyway, on the consent agenda is something somewhat confusing. Duke Energy owns some property on which it wants to build a substation, but it sits in one of the city’s Innovation Districts. Duke, who now plays the role of Man without a Country in WNC news, is obviously looking for other places to build while the city wants to explore options for some kind of mixed-use, affordable-housing complex for the tract.
No information is provided to explain if Duke jumped at the opportunity to find another place or if it needed a shove, and why the city has first dibs should Duke scram. In the world of one-sided Asheville staff reports where pros and cons read like heads we win, tails you lose, your why and wherefore “is as to” this:
This request is consistent with City Council’s Strategic Goal: Affordability and Economic Mobility. The specific goals are as to expand Asheville’s supply of quality, affordable homes for current and future residents and improve citizen equity by reducing disparity gaps with an emphasis on education and socio-economic mobility.
