The City of Asheville has been trying to unload excess real estate for some time. McKibbon Hotel Group has proposed buying some to build a hotel across from the US Cellular Center, but a local group wants to turn the prime real estate into a park. Thanking supporters for helping to keep Asheville green, their web site posts a rendering of their proposed bucolic look for downtown. Group members are puzzled why people think a park would have more of a negative impact on the municipal budget than a tax-paying hotel. All it takes is one part-time, living wage earner to mow the lawn. What’s more, few Asheville residents told pollsters they had any interest in overnighting a few blocks from their homes.
by Leslee Kulba
Wild West blogger