Tuesday, Asheville City Council will consider creating railroad quiet zones. Trains will not be able to blow their horns for about half a mile, but signage and signaling devices must be installed at each crossing. When I was little, signage represented visual clutter. Now it is wayfinding with the capacity for greening. Further,
Regarding the Strategic Operating Plan, the project [conducting a feasibility study and then, if advisable, constructing a railroad quiet zone] can support the areas of housing opportunities, sense of place, and growth, development and land use. It can be used to make the area suitable for building affordable housing with federal funds, encourage riverfront redevelopment, and promote infill growth.
