ASHEVILLE — Democrats are tired of a Republican-controlled state legislature they say has decimated education on all levels and not stood up for the everyday resident, and they’re optimistic the slate of 2016 candidates can bring change to Raleigh.
“People are seeing a path forward,” Holly Jones, Buncombe County commissioner who is running for lieutenant governor, said Saturday night at the party’s annual Western Gala. “There’s a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm.”
Jones and numerous other statewide Democratic candidates and supporters in a capacity crowd at the gala at the Renaissance Hotel downtown described the party’s stance heading into 2016 as “getting North Carolina back on track,” on key issues like funding for public education, expanding Medicaid and restoring local municipality control. Jennifer Granholm, former two-term governor of Michigan who teaches at the University of California-Berkeley, delivered a rousing call to action.
“The overreach into local government is just incomprehensible,” Jones said when asked about a series of recent General Assembly bills that have limited local authority on issues ranging from the appearance of homes to this month’s court decision upholding the transfer of Asheville’s water system to the Metropolitan Sewerage District.
Jones said she would work hard to repeal some of those laws and described a “disconnect” between state and local government that is losing touch with residents.
Attorney General Roy Cooper, who this week formally announced a long-expected challenge to Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, said the legislature needs to pass laws that allow local governments to do what they see fit.
“The legislature is taking authority away from local governments and doing many of the same things that they complain about Washington doing to the states,” Cooper said in an interview before the gala.
“I believe the government closest to the people governs the best,” Cooper said.
Cooper, 58, is from Nash County and is expected to be challenged in the Democratic primary by Ken Spaulding, a Durham lawyer.
Cooper’s campaign centers on serving the everyday resident, which he maintains McCrory’s agenda has moved away from. “We have a governor and a legislature that won’t find a way to keep good teachers, but they find a way to pass corporate tax giveaways,” Cooper said.
The administration isn’t “putting money in the pocket of the middle class,” but taking it out by expanding the sales tax and making everyday needs like car repairs more expensive, he said.
“North Carolina should work for everyone and not just the few,” he said.
He said the future of the state’s economy is in a strong small business sector. He recognized WNC’s importance to the state, particularly in tourism, and said infrastructure repairs are key to good-paying jobs.
Granholm, after opening with a rhyming performance poem describing the similarities of Michigan and North Carolina that included the line, “to get out of political Purgatory, you’ve got to replace Governor McCrory,” called on Democrats to fight against the loss of middle class jobs and to stand up for other shared values. “We value workers and work. That’s who we are,” Granholm said.
She described herself as “obsessed” with the question of how to create good jobs in America in a global economy. “We want Roy, when he’s elected, to be kept up at night over how to create good-paying jobs in North Carolina for your citizens, right?” Democrats have created 2.1 million jobs a year since 1961; Republicans 1.1 million, she said. Of the 10 poorest states, nine are Republican states. “The facts are on our side,” she said, to applause.
Sen. Brian Turner, D-Buncombe, said he’s been encouraged by Cooper’s campaign speeches so far, particularly Cooper’s stance on public education. Turner highlighted a sense of frustration over “the confusion and the inability of the (UNC) Board of Governors to actually function” and said the board’s credibility has been damaged.
“They rode Tom Ross out on a rail and now they’re wondering why they’re having a problem finding someone to replace him,” Turner said.
On Friday, the board in a widely derided move recessed after hours behind closed doors discussing the search for Ross’ successor as president of the UNC system, but made no announcement.
Cooper’s pledge to expand Medicaid is key, Turner said. “McCrory has continued to say, ‘I’m going to think about it’ and, unfortunately, people who need that health care, they don’t have the luxury of Gov. McCrory’s time,” Turner said.
Senate candidate Deborah Ross said economic security, access to quality education and protecting equal opportunity are top issues for her campaign.
“I think that people want change and that there’s a big mess in Washington, and our elected leaders in Washington are not putting people first,” said Ross, who served in the state House from 2003-13.
Asked for her take on local control, Ross said, “I think that there’s been governmental overreach with respect to municipalities coming from Raleigh.”
Democrat leaders said the party has the support of the working class, as well as young people.
“The Republican Party ideas and principles — that’s not our generation,” said Justin Conley, president of the Young Democrats of North Carolina. Young people think the administration’s leaders have demonstrated through policy that they don’t value the service of educators and in fact have increased tuition. “It’s time to move on,” he said.
“We just have to think about everyone — not just the people who are wealthy and well-connected,” said Rhonda Cole Schandevel, a Haywood County School Board member who’s running for the House seat held by Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Yancey.
“We have got to stop the madness that’s going on with the General Assembly cutting the funds that support our public education system,” she said.
UP NEXT
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Attorney General Roy Cooper and former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm speak Saturday night in Asheville. Leah Buletti
CoMMA staff Amber Austin (left) in marketing and Tony Bova production manager stand with Linda Giltz sign installation coordinator.
Sign placed at CoMMA
Sign installers work to position a new sign at CoMMA. The sign is one of five located in Burke. The sign is part of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Trail and includes 69 signs accross the state.
Waldensian Heritage Museum sign
Posted: Saturday, October 17, 2015 3:30 pm
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Updated: 10:03 pm, Sat Oct 17, 2015.
On Tuesday, signs were going up at various points of interest in the county. Burke County has five new interpretive signs among the 69 signs included in the Blue Ridge Heritage Trail located at historic, natural and scenic attractions throughout the state.
The five signs in Burke are located at South Mountains State Park, Waldensian Heritage Museum, Exploring Joara Village at Catawba Meadows Park, at CoMMA and at the Linville Gorge–Brown Mountain Lights overlook on N.C. Highway 181, sign installation coordinator Linda Giltz said.
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ASHEVILLE — Like many of her fellow millennials, Carolyn Stotts found herself beckoned to Western North Carolina for its active lifestyle.
The 24-year-old wedding photographer did a summer internship at an Asheville-based magazine in 2011 while a student at UNC Chapel Hill.
After running her own photography business in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area for a year and a half, Stotts thought, “I’d really love to shoot more in the mountains.”
So she moved to Arden in August with a roommate and her 2-year-old dog, PJ, a 40-pound black-lab mix nicknamed “Weej.”
Stotts and her fellow millennials, generally people of ages 15 to 34, are at the forefront of recent population growth in Buncombe County, just as they have fueled population growth in 8 of North Carolina’s 10 most-populated counties.
Millennial population growth over the past five years has outpaced baby boomers, people of ages 50 to 69, and far outdistanced Generation X, those of ages 35 to 49.
For Western North Carolina, the trend presents a mix of good and bad — and it delivers new challenges.
The parents paying for Stotts photos generally come from the baby boomer generation, but that responsibility will soon fall to Gen X parents, and their numbers are not growing as quickly. If Stotts’ business is to survive in the long run, the region needs a healthy number of Gen Xers.
Asheville is lucky in that millennials and baby boomers want similar things, such as walkable neighborhoods. But sidewalks and greenways are costly and Asheville has struggled to pay for both.
And millennials also are less often able to pay for a home, something that would root them in a community, and they are more likely to become trapped in low-wage jobs, such as those in the service industry.
U.S. Census data show from 2009 through 2014, the population of the region comprising Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties grew by 5,697 millennials, 4,901 baby boomers and 2,711 people considered as being a part of Generation X.
Those numbers change what had been the prevailing perception of the region’s growth for decades, said Tom Tveidt, an Asheville-based research economist and owner of SYNEVA Economics LLC, a consulting firm that focuses on local and regional analysis.
“In the nearly 20 years that I have followed the demographics of this area, the common narrative describing the changes in population has always been the significant impact of the baby boomers,” said Tveidt, who also is past chair of The Council for Community and Economic Research, a Virginia-based nonprofit organization.
“Over the last five years, the millennial generation has overtaken the baby boomers as the major source of population change,” Tveidt said.
The estimated 2014 population for Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties was 475,361, according to Census data.
Regardless of the recent millennial surge, some researchers forecast the migration of baby boomers to the region during the coming years will be significant.
“Between 2015 and 2020, it is projected that (the) greatest increase in the number of households will be among those between the ages of 65 and 74, increasing by 1,104 (20.4 percent) households during this time,” according to a January report that assessed the housing needs of Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties.
Though some Asheville natives and longtime residents might view the swelling influx of newcomers with suspicion, they also are a reflection of success.
But Asheville could be challenged in continuing to attract younger people if it can’t foster enough adequately paying job opportunities, said Marty Romitti, senior vice president of the Virginia-based Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness.
That’s already a problem in the city, where housing prices are skyrocketing in some neighborhoods, like West Asheville, and the top two employer industries are relatively low-wage retail and tourism.
In West Asheville, the price of homes has more than doubled in the past decade and a half alone, climbing from $73 a square foot to $187.
Average annual wages last year for retail trade jobs in the Asheville metro area were $24,758, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The metro area is a federally defined region comprising four counties: Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson and Madison.
Average annual wages last year for leisure and hospitality jobs in the Asheville metro area were $17,602, federal data show.
The federal government defines the leisure and hospitality sector as employment in arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services.
“Asheville has half the pieces of the puzzle,” Romitti said. “It already has the natural beauty to leverage.”
Which is what brings people like Lakota Chesz, 21, to leave Colorado’s Front Range and move to Western North Carolina.
“I like the mountain feel, the (French Broad) river and how green it is here,” said Chesz, who works at the Fresh Quarter Produce in downtown’s Grove Arcade. “There aren’t as many green things in Denver.”
And Asheville is a place where “I don’t feel overwhelmed constantly,” she said. Plus, “you can pretty much do any outdoor sport you’re interested in: tubing, rock climbing, mountain biking…”
The challenge before Asheville, Romitti said, is to develop “innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities for younger” people moving here. That’s where the underwhelming growth of Generation X could pose problems.
“That’s the group we want to harness — either for their expertise and experience to be mentors or for their investment dollars,” Dorfman said.
The question for Asheville, Dorfman said, is: “How do we emerge as a startup hub without a tier-one research university?”
“It’s very challenging to find a city in the U.S. that has done so,” said Dorfman, who also is managing director of Asheville Angels, an investor network that locates and funds startups in the region.
With such expertise in place, Dorfman said it would then be possible to create jobs for millennials who are moving here.
“If we could do it in a city our size, we’d arguably be the first,” he said. “That’s the model we’re trying to prove can be done.”
Success in that area would make Sealy Chipley, 28, and Brian Taylor, 31, very happy. The couple and business partners are tired of seeing their close friends move from Asheville because they can’t find good jobs that pay enough.
“We have seven friends who either have left or are planning to leave,” said Chipley, founder and owner of Chipley Consulting, an Asheville planning and communications firm. “You get tired of being poor.”
“The problem isn’t attracting (younger) people here,” said Taylor, an urban planner at Chipley’s firm. “The problem is keeping them.”
Like Chesz and Stotts, Chipley and Taylor moved here for the region’s physical magnificence.
That’s true also of retirees.
Donna Bailey, 65, and her husband became full-time residents about two and a half years ago, she said, after splitting time between Kiawaha Island in South Carolina and The Cliffs at Walnut Cove in South Asheville.
Within a 14-mile radius of her home sit many restaurants, several movie theaters, art museums and the Brevard Music Center, she said.
“This area has a bundle” of activities, said Bailey.
She said she believes that’s why 36 out of the 40 new residences under construction in her community are set to be home to retirees.
“They want to be in a young, active community with lots to do,” she said.
A record number of members, about 2,300, at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville shows Bailey could be on to something. Center director Catherine Frank said 90 percent of institute members have relocated to the Asheville area “from somewhere else.”
These are people who have chosen Asheville because the population already here is active, Frank said.
“They’re not interested in sitting it out for the rest of their lives,” Frank said.
Bailey said the number of organizations that exist in the city and the way Asheville itself is laid out make it an easy place to become involved.
She is taking advantage of being a full-time resident of such a community by donating her time and energy.
She’s helped the Asheville Arts Museum raise money. She’s helped develop a women’s golf team and program at UNC Asheville. And she’s created a mentorship program for UNCA student-athletes.
Millennials might not be as involved as their baby boomer counterparts, and for that reason are not always as rooted in the community.
DeWayne Barton, 48, said he has watched the number of millennials increase during the past few years in the Burton Street neighborhood of West Asheville, where he lives.
DeWayne Barton on the growth of Asheville
“I don’t see a lot of older people moving in here,” said Barton, a self-described “social entrepreneur.” He heads the Asheville nonprofit, Hood Huggers International, which uses art to connect communities.
“But the millennials don’t seem so community oriented; I don’t see them as active in the community,” Barton said.
That disappoints him because much of his work has focused on binding his historically black neighborhood closer together. Barton, who is African American, also said he doesn’t see any black millennials arriving.
The growth of millennials and retirees could play into the strengths that the Asheville region already has. That’s because millennials and baby boomers share critical commonalities, according to a 2014 American Planning Associationreport.
Both generations prioritize quality-of-life amenities above most other factors when choosing where to live, the association authors concluded.
“Job prospects and economic health are not the overriding factors for choosing where to live,” the report stated. “Quality of life features such as transportation options, affordability, parks, local vitality, health, and presence of friends and family are equally or often more important. By a near 2-to-1 margin, respondents believe that investing in communities, over recruiting companies, is the key to growth.”
A healthy mixture of demographics equals healthy cities, said Aaron Renn, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research in New York, whose areas of expertise are urban issues and economic development. The institute is a policy-research nonprofit organization.
Cities with a balance of younger and older people have “a more balanced taxpayer environment,” Renn said.
Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer said that’s one thing she likes about Asheville: “It’s not dominated by one age group. You see people in their 20s and people in their 60s at the same events.”
Chipley and Taylor, the millennial couple and business partners, agreed that Asheville generally has done a solid job by “investing in place” to cater to both millennials and baby boomers.
The continuing development of the River Arts District is one example, Taylor said.
But community leaders must do a better job providing affordable and different types of housing, Chipley said.
Asheville seems to have harnessed the talents and abilities that baby boomers have to offer.
Among the region’s challenges is to do the same with millennials — and to recruit people with the skill sets those of Generation X possess, regardless of age, Dorfman said.
Venture Asheville’s head said he and his Asheville-Buncombe EDC colleagues aren’t explicitly targeting Gen X’ers in their recruitment efforts.
Members of that generation simply have the know-how to mentor new entrepreneurs effectively and scale up their operations swiftly, Dorfman said.
“That should then create more local jobs,” he said.
A formal exploration of how to maximize the expertise offered by Generation X could be well worth the time and effort, said James Coman, 61, a retired planner for Buncombe County who lives in Leicester.
“That would be right on the mark,” Coman said.
CITIZEN TIMES
Special report: Growing pains shaping Asheville’s future
CITIZEN TIMES
Asheville’s path from hard times to breweries, hotels
Hilton Head Island actually had a double dose of luck when catastrophic storms pummeled the state earlier this month.
Not only did the heaviest rain, storm surges and flooding largely miss the island, but the damage to its beaches is sure to be short-lived, with a $20 million renourishment project already scheduled to begin early next year.
That has town leaders breathing a sigh of relief, even though the beaches lost about 160,000 cubic yards of sand — as much as they used to lose in an entire year, according to town engineers’ analysis.
“I was down there on the beach on Saturday and Sunday when storm passed by,” Hilton Head Plantation general manager Peter Kristian said of Hurricane Joaquin, which ultimately stayed well offshore of South Carolina. “I can only imagine what type of devastation there would have been if that hurricane made landfall here (in South Carolina). We were absolutely spared. We were indeed very, very fortunate.”
THE DAMAGE
Three days after the storms subsided, town engineers were on the beach assessing the damage.
The sand that washed away represented about $1.7 million, said Scott Liggett, town director of public projects and facilities. But he doesn’t think the sand is gone for good, just “relocated.”
“There’s actually not a big concern that we’ve lost sand,” Liggett said, “… it’s still within the system we consider in our sandy shoreline. …
“What we also consider as the overall health goes well beyond what people see as the dry sandy beach.”
Although some of the aftermath was dramatic — 13-foot-high scarps were carved out of the dunes on North Forest Beach, and some entire stretches of dry sand disappeared overnight — none of it is considered an emergency nor was any property damaged, he said.
In fact, Liggett and town manager Steve Riley mostly see success in the response of the town’s storm defenses.
Over the past 25 years, the town has built up a series of barriers to protect its beaches from large storms, and since 1993 it has collected a 2 percent tax on overnight lodging to fund those projects.
Some of the initial projects were “a miserable failure,” but the town’s sand fence and dune-building in 1997 succeeded in expanding the beach, Liggett said. In the years since, those fences and dunes have only grown, he and Riley added.
“Even with that scarping out on the water side, we still had 50 feet or so between dune and the beachfront properties,” Liggett said. “It’s there to provide this shock absorber if we need, and hopefully, we don’t.”
To date, the town has spent nearly $50 million to renourish and protect its beaches and has placed 8 million cubic yards of sand, about 6 million of which still remains in the beach system, Liggett said.
THE FACELIFT
The next batch of new sand is due to start hitting the island’s major beaches by February.
The $20 million renourishment project will pump about 2.2 million cubic yards of sand onto four sections.
The biggest segment will be about 5.4 miles long, from the Marriott’s Grand Ocean in South Forest Beach past Coligny to the northern edge of Palmetto Dunes, according to town plans.
Other sections include almost two miles along the heel at Port Royal Plantation, about 5,000 feet of South Beach in Sea Pines Resort and about 2,000 feet between Fish Haul and Mitchelville Beach parks.
Liggett will present the project for Town Council’s consideration on Tuesday. The project is expected to take about four months, ideally finishing before the busiest part of the summer tourism begins, Liggett and Riley said.
The timing couldn’t be better, Mayor David Bennett said Friday.
“We were very fortunate with respect to the storm, but we’re also fortunate with the timing of the beach renourishment,” he said. “Whatever erosion we have had will be short-lived with this upcoming project. That’s obviously very fortuitous.”
PINE ISLAND
One area of Hilton Head not quite as lucky, however, was Pine Island.
Located in the Dolphin Head area in Hilton Head Plantation, the section of beach on Port Royal Sound was particularly hard hit by the storm surges and high tides.
About 100 yards of the spit lost as much as 15 feet of sandy beach during the storm, plantation manager Kristian said. Storm surges also damaged sand fences, snapping four-by-four support planks like twigs, he added.
But the gated community is moving to contain the damage — crews will repair the fences and truck in sand to renourish the beach this week, Kristian said. The plantation property owners board has approved up to $60,000 for the repairs from its operating and reserve funds.
Despite the setback, Kristian was still grateful.
“We have a permit that we’re operating under that’s good until 2020 to put sand out on the beach on an as needed basis,” he said.
“We were really very fortunate in all of this that it wasn’t worse.”
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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ –On the heels of wrapping up their hugely successful “Rock Out With Your Socks Out Tour,” 5 Seconds of Summer announce plans to return to North America next summer for another extensive run. The SOUNDS LIVE FEELS LIVE tour, produced by Live Nation, will kick off on July 1 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT and include shows at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, PA (July 2), New York City’s Madison Square Garden (July 15) and The Forum in Los Angeles (Sept. 7). See below for itinerary.
–> LOS ANGELES, Oct. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ –On the heels of wrapping up their hugely successful “Rock Out With Your Socks Out Tour,” 5 Seconds of Summer announce plans to return to North America next summer for another extensive run. The SOUNDS LIVE FEELS LIVE tour, produced by Live Nation, will kick off on July 1 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT and include shows at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, PA (July 2), New York City’s Madison Square Garden (July 15) and The Forum in Los Angeles (Sept. 7). See below for itinerary.
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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — On the heels of wrapping up their hugely successful “Rock Out With Your Socks Out Tour,” 5 Seconds of Summer announce plans to return to North America next summer for another extensive run. The SOUNDS LIVE FEELS LIVE tour, produced by Live Nation, will kick off on July 1 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT and include shows at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, PA (July 2), New York City’s Madison Square Garden (July 15) and The Forum in Los Angeles (Sept. 7). See below for itinerary.
5 Seconds of Summer’s new adrenaline-fueled studio album, Sounds Good Feels Good, via the band’s store HERE will have early access to tickets. The album will be released next Friday, Oct. 23, via Hi or Hey Records/Capitol Records. It is the follow-up to the band’s chart-topping, self-titled debut, which has sold more than three million copies worldwide.
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5 Seconds of Summer’s new adrenaline-fueled studio album, Sounds Good Feels Good, via the band’s store HERE will have early access to tickets. The album will be released next Friday, Oct. 23, via Hi or Hey Records/Capitol Records. It is the follow-up to the band’s chart-topping, self-titled debut, which has sold more than three million copies worldwide.
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Fans who order 5 Seconds of Summer’s new adrenaline-fueled studio album, Sounds Good Feels Good, via the band’s store HERE will have early access to tickets. The album will be released next Friday, Oct. 23, via Hi or Hey Records/Capitol Records. It is the follow-up to the band’s chart-topping, self-titled debut, which has sold more than three million copies worldwide.
Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 10 a.m. local time through Citi’s Private Pass Program. For complete pre-sale details, visit www.citiprivatepass.com. Tickets for the general public go on sale on Oct. 23 at www.livenation.com.
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Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 10 a.m. local time through Citi’s Private Pass Program. For complete pre-sale details, visit www.citiprivatepass.com. Tickets for the general public go on sale on Oct. 23 at www.livenation.com.
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Citi® cardmembers will have access to pre-sale tickets beginning Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 10 a.m. local time through Citi’s Private Pass® Program. For complete pre-sale details, visit www.citiprivatepass.com. Tickets for the general public go on sale on Oct. 23 at www.livenation.com.
“Hey Everybody,” the band’s new single, premiered today on VEVO and can be viewed HERE. Directed by Isaac Rentz (Cage The Elephant, Blink 182), who also helmed 5 Seconds of Summer’s “She’s Kinda Hot,” “Good Girls,” “Amnesia” and “Don’t Stop” videos, the clip finds Mikey in a hot dog costume, Ash dressed as a dinosaur, Calum walking dogs and Luke stuck in a terrible internship.
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“Hey Everybody,” the band’s new single, premiered today on VEVO and can be viewed HERE. Directed by Isaac Rentz (Cage The Elephant, Blink 182), who also helmed 5 Seconds of Summer’s “She’s Kinda Hot,” “Good Girls,” “Amnesia” and “Don’t Stop” videos, the clip finds Mikey in a hot dog costume, Ash dressed as a dinosaur, Calum walking dogs and Luke stuck in a terrible internship.
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The official video for “Hey Everybody,” the band’s new single, premiered today on VEVO and can be viewed HERE. Directed by Isaac Rentz (Cage The Elephant, Blink 182), who also helmed 5 Seconds of Summer’s “She’s Kinda Hot,” “Good Girls,” “Amnesia” and “Don’t Stop” videos, the clip finds Mikey in a hot dog costume, Ash dressed as a dinosaur, Calum walking dogs and Luke stuck in a terrible internship.
“Hey Everybody” along with “She’s Kinda Hot,” “Money,” “Jet Black Heart” and “Fly Away” are available instantly to fans who pre-order the digital version of Sounds Good Feels Good, available HERE. The album hit No. 1 on iTunes in 50 countries just hours after the pre-order launched.
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“Hey Everybody” along with “She’s Kinda Hot,” “Money,” “Jet Black Heart” and “Fly Away” are available instantly to fans who pre-order the digital version of Sounds Good Feels Good, available HERE. The album hit No. 1 on iTunes in 50 countries just hours after the pre-order launched.
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“Hey Everybody” – along with “She’s Kinda Hot,” “Money,” “Jet Black Heart” and “Fly Away” – are available instantly to fans who pre-order the digital version of Sounds Good Feels Good, available HERE. The album hit No. 1 on iTunes in 50 countries just hours after the pre-order launched.
cover story on the band, Billboard noted, “5SOS is an anomaly in 2015: a Generation Z guitar band that sells records.On Sounds Good Feels Good, the guitars thunder more…” Alternative Press, which awarded the album four stars, observed, “Sounds Good Feels Good delivers.The album finds its crux in the first single, ‘She’s Kinda Hot,’ with the triumphant line in the chorus: ‘We are the kings and queens of the new broken scene.'” Kerrang hailed it as a “killer new album” and gave it four K’s, noting, “Opener ‘Money’ explodes into one of the biggest anthems of the year.”
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cover story on the band, Billboard noted, “5SOS is an anomaly in 2015: a Generation Z guitar band that sells records.On Sounds Good Feels Good, the guitars thunder more…” Alternative Press, which awarded the album four stars, observed, “Sounds Good Feels Good delivers.The album finds its crux in the first single, ‘She’s Kinda Hot,’ with the triumphant line in the chorus: ‘We are the kings and queens of the new broken scene.'” Kerrang hailed it as a “killer new album” and gave it four K’s, noting, “Opener ‘Money’ explodes into one of the biggest anthems of the year.”
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In their second cover story on the band, Billboard noted, “5SOS is an anomaly in 2015: a Generation Z guitar band that sells records.…On Sounds Good Feels Good, the guitars thunder more…” Alternative Press, which awarded the album four stars, observed, “Sounds Good Feels Good delivers….The album finds its crux in the first single, ‘She’s Kinda Hot,’ with the triumphant line in the chorus: ‘We are the kings and queens of the new broken scene.'” Kerrang hailed it as a “killer new album” and gave it four K’s, noting, “Opener ‘Money’ explodes into one of the biggest anthems of the year.”
“She’s Kinda Hot,” which won Song of the Summer honors at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, topped the iTunes charts in 44 countries and was a Top 15 hit at Top 40 radio. 5 Seconds of Summer spent three months living together in a studio in Los Angeles, writing and recording Sounds Good Feels Good, which was executive produced by rock veteran John Feldmann (All Time Low, Good Charlotte, Boys Like Girls).
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“She’s Kinda Hot,” which won Song of the Summer honors at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, topped the iTunes charts in 44 countries and was a Top 15 hit at Top 40 radio. 5 Seconds of Summer spent three months living together in a studio in Los Angeles, writing and recording Sounds Good Feels Good, which was executive produced by rock veteran John Feldmann (All Time Low, Good Charlotte, Boys Like Girls).
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“She’s Kinda Hot,” which won Song of the Summer honors at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, topped the iTunes charts in 44 countries and was a Top 15 hit at Top 40 radio. 5 Seconds of Summer spent three months living together in a studio in Los Angeles, writing and recording Sounds Good Feels Good, which was executive produced by rock veteran John Feldmann (All Time Low, Good Charlotte, Boys Like Girls).
New York City show, which will take place at Madison Square Garden, will be streamed live on Yahoo! at www.yahoo.com/iheartradioon Friday, Dec. 11, at 8 p.m. ET and a 90-minute special will air on The CW on Thursday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
–> New York City show, which will take place at Madison Square Garden, will be streamed live on Yahoo! at www.yahoo.com/iheartradioon Friday, Dec. 11, at 8 p.m. ET and a 90-minute special will air on The CW on Thursday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
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The band is among the all-star lineup of artists featured on the 2015 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball tour. The New York City show, which will take place at Madison Square Garden, will be streamed live on Yahoo! at www.yahoo.com/iheartradio on Friday, Dec. 11, at 8 p.m. ET and a 90-minute special will air on The CW on Thursday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
5 Seconds of Summer’s self-titled debut album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1, selling 260,000 units in the U.S. in its first week of release, marking the biggest debut for a new act in 2014 and the biggest debut ever by an Australian artist. It topped the iTunes charts in a total of 76 countries. The band has won numerous awards, including an American Music Award, a People’s Choice Award, five MTV European Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award and an iHeartRadio Music Award. In 2015, 5 Seconds of Summer played to more than one million fans across three continents, including three massive sold-out nights at the SSE Wembley Arena in London.
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5 Seconds of Summer’s self-titled debut album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1, selling 260,000 units in the U.S. in its first week of release, marking the biggest debut for a new act in 2014 and the biggest debut ever by an Australian artist. It topped the iTunes charts in a total of 76 countries. The band has won numerous awards, including an American Music Award, a People’s Choice Award, five MTV European Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award and an iHeartRadio Music Award. In 2015, 5 Seconds of Summer played to more than one million fans across three continents, including three massive sold-out nights at the SSE Wembley Arena in London.
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5 Seconds of Summer’s self-titled debut album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1, selling 260,000 units in the U.S. in its first week of release, marking the biggest debut for a new act in 2014 and the biggest debut ever by an Australian artist. It topped the iTunes charts in a total of 76 countries. The band has won numerous awards, including an American Music Award, a People’s Choice Award, five MTV European Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award and an iHeartRadio Music Award. In 2015, 5 Seconds of Summer played to more than one million fans across three continents, including three massive sold-out nights at the SSE Wembley Arena in London.
5 SECONDS OF SUMMER SOUNDS LIVE FEELS LIVE TOUR 2016
Fri., July 1, 2016
Uncasville, CT
Mohegan Sun Arena
Sat., July 2, 2016
Hershey, PA
Hersheypark Stadium
Wed., July 6, 2016
Darien Center, NY
Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Fri., July 8, 2016
Washington, DC
Jiffy Lube Live
Sat., July 9, 2016
Boston, MA
Xfinity Center
Sun., July 10, 2016
Holmdel, NJ
PNC Bank Arts Center
Tues., July 12, 2016
Toronto, ON
Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Wed., July 13, 2016
Montreal, QC
Bell Centre
Fri., July 15, 2016
New York, NY
Madison Square Garden
Sat., July 16, 2016
Philadelphia, PA
Susquehanna Bank Center
Mon., July 18, 2016
Charlotte, NC
PNC Music Pavilion Charlotte
Wed., July 20, 2016
Jacksonville, FL
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
Fri., July 22, 2016
Birmingham, AL
Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
Sat., July 23, 2016
Nashville, TN
Bridgestone Arena
Sun., July 24, 2016
Atlanta, GA
Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
Tues., July 26, 2016
Cincinnati, OH
Riverbend Music Center
Wed., July 27, 2016
Detroit, MI
The Palace of Auburn Hills
Fri., July 29, 2016
Moline, IL
iWireless Center
Sat., July 30, 2016
Chicago, IL
Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Sun., July 31, 2016
Saint Paul, MN
Xcel Energy Theatre
Thurs., Aug. 18, 2016
Tulsa, OK
BOK Center
Fri., Aug. 19, 2016
St. Louis, MO
Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Sat., Aug. 20, 2016
Kansas City, MO
Sprint Center
Mon., Aug. 22, 2016
Omaha, NE
CenturyLink Center
Wed., Aug. 24, 2016
Denver, CO
Pepsi Center
Fri., Aug. 26, 2016
Salt Lake City, UT
USANA Amphitheatre
Sat., Aug. 27, 2016
Boise, ID
Taco Bell Arena
Sun., Aug. 28, 2016
Seattle, WA
White River Amphitheatre
Tues., Aug. 30, 2016
Spokane, WA
Spokane Arena
Wed., Aug. 31, 2016
Portland, OR
Sunlight Supply Amphitheatre
Fri., Sept. 2, 2016
Mountain View, CA
Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sat., Sept. 3, 2016
Sacramento, CA
Toyota Amphitheatre
Sun., Sept. 4, 2016
Irvine, CA
Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
Wed., Sept. 7, 2016
Los Angeles, CA
The Forum
Fri., Sept. 9, 2016
San Diego, CA
Sleep Train Amphitheatre
Sat., Sept. 10, 2016
Phoenix, AZ
Ak-Chin Pavilion
Sun., Sept. 11, 2016
Albuquerque, NM
Isleta Amphitheater
Wed., Sept. 14, 2016
San Antonio, TX
ATT Center
Fri., Sept. 16, 2016
New Orleans, LA
Smoothie King Center
Sat., Sept. 17, 2016
Dallas, TX
Gexa Energy Pavilion
Sun., Sept. 18, 2016
Houston, TX
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
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5 SECONDS OF SUMMER SOUNDS LIVE FEELS LIVE TOUR 2016
Fri., July 1, 2016
Uncasville, CT
Mohegan Sun Arena
Sat., July 2, 2016
Hershey, PA
Hersheypark Stadium
Wed., July 6, 2016
Darien Center, NY
Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Fri., July 8, 2016
Washington, DC
Jiffy Lube Live
Sat., July 9, 2016
Boston, MA
Xfinity Center
Sun., July 10, 2016
Holmdel, NJ
PNC Bank Arts Center
Tues., July 12, 2016
Toronto, ON
Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Wed., July 13, 2016
Montreal, QC
Bell Centre
Fri., July 15, 2016
New York, NY
Madison Square Garden
Sat., July 16, 2016
Philadelphia, PA
Susquehanna Bank Center
Mon., July 18, 2016
Charlotte, NC
PNC Music Pavilion Charlotte
Wed., July 20, 2016
Jacksonville, FL
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
Fri., July 22, 2016
Birmingham, AL
Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
Sat., July 23, 2016
Nashville, TN
Bridgestone Arena
Sun., July 24, 2016
Atlanta, GA
Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
Tues., July 26, 2016
Cincinnati, OH
Riverbend Music Center
Wed., July 27, 2016
Detroit, MI
The Palace of Auburn Hills
Fri., July 29, 2016
Moline, IL
iWireless Center
Sat., July 30, 2016
Chicago, IL
Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Sun., July 31, 2016
Saint Paul, MN
Xcel Energy Theatre
Thurs., Aug. 18, 2016
Tulsa, OK
BOK Center
Fri., Aug. 19, 2016
St. Louis, MO
Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Sat., Aug. 20, 2016
Kansas City, MO
Sprint Center
Mon., Aug. 22, 2016
Omaha, NE
CenturyLink Center
Wed., Aug. 24, 2016
Denver, CO
Pepsi Center
Fri., Aug. 26, 2016
Salt Lake City, UT
USANA Amphitheatre
Sat., Aug. 27, 2016
Boise, ID
Taco Bell Arena
Sun., Aug. 28, 2016
Seattle, WA
White River Amphitheatre
Tues., Aug. 30, 2016
Spokane, WA
Spokane Arena
Wed., Aug. 31, 2016
Portland, OR
Sunlight Supply Amphitheatre
Fri., Sept. 2, 2016
Mountain View, CA
Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sat., Sept. 3, 2016
Sacramento, CA
Toyota Amphitheatre
Sun., Sept. 4, 2016
Irvine, CA
Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
Wed., Sept. 7, 2016
Los Angeles, CA
The Forum
Fri., Sept. 9, 2016
San Diego, CA
Sleep Train Amphitheatre
Sat., Sept. 10, 2016
Phoenix, AZ
Ak-Chin Pavilion
Sun., Sept. 11, 2016
Albuquerque, NM
Isleta Amphitheater
Wed., Sept. 14, 2016
San Antonio, TX
ATT Center
Fri., Sept. 16, 2016
New Orleans, LA
Smoothie King Center
Sat., Sept. 17, 2016
Dallas, TX
Gexa Energy Pavilion
Sun., Sept. 18, 2016
Houston, TX
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
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5 SECONDS OF SUMMER – SOUNDS LIVE FEELS LIVE TOUR 2016
Fri., July 1, 2016
Uncasville, CT
Mohegan Sun Arena
Sat., July 2, 2016
Hershey, PA
Hersheypark Stadium
Wed., July 6, 2016
Darien Center, NY
Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Fri., July 8, 2016
Washington, DC
Jiffy Lube Live
Sat., July 9, 2016
Boston, MA
Xfinity Center
Sun., July 10, 2016
Holmdel, NJ
PNC Bank Arts Center
Tues., July 12, 2016
Toronto, ON
Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Wed., July 13, 2016
Montreal, QC
Bell Centre
Fri., July 15, 2016
New York, NY
Madison Square Garden
Sat., July 16, 2016
Philadelphia, PA
Susquehanna Bank Center
Mon., July 18, 2016
Charlotte, NC
PNC Music Pavilion Charlotte
Wed., July 20, 2016
Jacksonville, FL
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
Fri., July 22, 2016
Birmingham, AL
Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
Sat., July 23, 2016
Nashville, TN
Bridgestone Arena
Sun., July 24, 2016
Atlanta, GA
Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
Tues., July 26, 2016
Cincinnati, OH
Riverbend Music Center
Wed., July 27, 2016
Detroit, MI
The Palace of Auburn Hills
Fri., July 29, 2016
Moline, IL
iWireless Center
Sat., July 30, 2016
Chicago, IL
Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Sun., July 31, 2016
Saint Paul, MN
Xcel Energy Theatre
Thurs., Aug. 18, 2016
Tulsa, OK
BOK Center
Fri., Aug. 19, 2016
St. Louis, MO
Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Sat., Aug. 20, 2016
Kansas City, MO
Sprint Center
Mon., Aug. 22, 2016
Omaha, NE
CenturyLink Center
Wed., Aug. 24, 2016
Denver, CO
Pepsi Center
Fri., Aug. 26, 2016
Salt Lake City, UT
USANA Amphitheatre
Sat., Aug. 27, 2016
Boise, ID
Taco Bell Arena
Sun., Aug. 28, 2016
Seattle, WA
White River Amphitheatre
Tues., Aug. 30, 2016
Spokane, WA
Spokane Arena
Wed., Aug. 31, 2016
Portland, OR
Sunlight Supply Amphitheatre
Fri., Sept. 2, 2016
Mountain View, CA
Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sat., Sept. 3, 2016
Sacramento, CA
Toyota Amphitheatre
Sun., Sept. 4, 2016
Irvine, CA
Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
Wed., Sept. 7, 2016
Los Angeles, CA
The Forum
Fri., Sept. 9, 2016
San Diego, CA
Sleep Train Amphitheatre
Sat., Sept. 10, 2016
Phoenix, AZ
Ak-Chin Pavilion
Sun., Sept. 11, 2016
Albuquerque, NM
Isleta Amphitheater
Wed., Sept. 14, 2016
San Antonio, TX
ATT Center
Fri., Sept. 16, 2016
New Orleans, LA
Smoothie King Center
Sat., Sept. 17, 2016
Dallas, TX
Gexa Energy Pavilion
Sun., Sept. 18, 2016
Houston, TX
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
5 SECONDS OF SUMMER are on the line-up for the following dates of the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2015 Tour:
Tues., Dec. 1, 2015
Dallas, TX
Fri., Dec. 4, 2015
Los Angeles, CA
Wed., Dec. 9, 2015
Philadelphia, PA
Thurs., Dec. 10, 2015
Boston, MA
Fri., Dec. 11, 2015
New York, NY
Mon., Dec. 14, 2015
Washington, DC
Wed., Dec. 16, 2015
Chicago, IL
Fri., Dec. 18, 2015
Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Sat., Dec. 19, 2015
Tampa, FL
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5 SECONDS OF SUMMER are on the line-up for the following dates of the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2015 Tour:
Tues., Dec. 1, 2015
Dallas, TX
Fri., Dec. 4, 2015
Los Angeles, CA
Wed., Dec. 9, 2015
Philadelphia, PA
Thurs., Dec. 10, 2015
Boston, MA
Fri., Dec. 11, 2015
New York, NY
Mon., Dec. 14, 2015
Washington, DC
Wed., Dec. 16, 2015
Chicago, IL
Fri., Dec. 18, 2015
Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Sat., Dec. 19, 2015
Tampa, FL
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5 SECONDS OF SUMMER are on the line-up for the following dates of the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2015 Tour:
LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, Live Nation Media Sponsorship and Artist Nation Management. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com.
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LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, Live Nation Media Sponsorship and Artist Nation Management. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com.
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Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, Live Nation Media Sponsorship and Artist Nation Management. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ –Campus Crest Communities, Inc. (NYSE: CCG) (the “Company” or “Campus Crest”), today announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with affiliates of Harrison Street Real Estate Capital, LLC (“Harrison Street“) pursuant to which Harrison Street will acquire all issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Campus Crest in a transaction involving total estimated merger consideration of $7.03 per share, which amount includes net sale proceeds currently estimated to be valued at up to $0.13 per share (based on current exchange rates) from the separate sale of the Company’s ownership interest in its evo Montreal joint venture (“Montreal Sale”). Including the assumption or repayment of various indebtedness of Campus Crest, the overall transaction value is $1.9 billion. The merger agreement was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of the Company.
–> CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ –Campus Crest Communities, Inc. (NYSE: CCG) (the “Company” or “Campus Crest”), today announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with affiliates of Harrison Street Real Estate Capital, LLC (“Harrison Street“) pursuant to which Harrison Street will acquire all issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Campus Crest in a transaction involving total estimated merger consideration of $7.03 per share, which amount includes net sale proceeds currently estimated to be valued at up to $0.13 per share (based on current exchange rates) from the separate sale of the Company’s ownership interest in its evo Montreal joint venture (“Montreal Sale”). Including the assumption or repayment of various indebtedness of Campus Crest, the overall transaction value is $1.9 billion. The merger agreement was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of the Company.
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CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Campus Crest Communities, Inc. (NYSE: CCG) (the “Company” or “Campus Crest”), today announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with affiliates of Harrison Street Real Estate Capital, LLC (“Harrison Street“) pursuant to which Harrison Street will acquire all issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Campus Crest in a transaction involving total estimated merger consideration of $7.03 per share, which amount includes net sale proceeds currently estimated to be valued at up to $0.13 per share (based on current exchange rates) from the separate sale of the Company’s ownership interest in its evo Montreal joint venture (“Montreal Sale”). Including the assumption or repayment of various indebtedness of Campus Crest, the overall transaction value is $1.9 billion. The merger agreement was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of the Company.
October 30, 2015, pursuant to a sale agreement with the Company’s joint venture partner (the “Montreal Sale Agreement”). Assuming the Montreal Sale is consummated on the terms and conditions set forth in the Montreal Sale Agreement, the total per share consideration to be received by Campus Crest shareholders is estimated to be $7.03 per share, consisting of $6.90 per share in cash (the “Cash Consideration”), plus a pro-rata portion of the net proceeds from the Montreal Sale (the “Contingent Consideration”), currently estimated to be $0.13 per share based on current exchange rates.
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October 30, 2015, pursuant to a sale agreement with the Company’s joint venture partner (the “Montreal Sale Agreement”). Assuming the Montreal Sale is consummated on the terms and conditions set forth in the Montreal Sale Agreement, the total per share consideration to be received by Campus Crest shareholders is estimated to be $7.03 per share, consisting of $6.90 per share in cash (the “Cash Consideration”), plus a pro-rata portion of the net proceeds from the Montreal Sale (the “Contingent Consideration”), currently estimated to be $0.13 per share based on current exchange rates.
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Under the terms of the merger agreement, the final merger consideration will be determined following the closing of the Montreal Sale, currently expected to occur before October 30, 2015, pursuant to a sale agreement with the Company’s joint venture partner (the “Montreal Sale Agreement”). Assuming the Montreal Sale is consummated on the terms and conditions set forth in the Montreal Sale Agreement, the total per share consideration to be received by Campus Crest shareholders is estimated to be $7.03 per share, consisting of $6.90 per share in cash (the “Cash Consideration”), plus a pro-rata portion of the net proceeds from the Montreal Sale (the “Contingent Consideration”), currently estimated to be $0.13 per share based on current exchange rates.
Montreal joint venture interests on terms other than those currently provided for in the Montreal Sale Agreement. If the proceeds of the Montreal Sale are insufficient to fully satisfy the outstanding debt on the properties owned by the Montreal joint venture, then the Company would be obligated to contribute to the repayment of the deficiency in accordance with its outstanding guaranty of the debt, currently approximately CAD$56.0 million. In such event, the Cash Consideration per share would be reduced by a pro-rata portion of the amount necessary to discharge the guaranty.
–> Montreal joint venture interests on terms other than those currently provided for in the Montreal Sale Agreement. If the proceeds of the Montreal Sale are insufficient to fully satisfy the outstanding debt on the properties owned by the Montreal joint venture, then the Company would be obligated to contribute to the repayment of the deficiency in accordance with its outstanding guaranty of the debt, currently approximately CAD$56.0 million. In such event, the Cash Consideration per share would be reduced by a pro-rata portion of the amount necessary to discharge the guaranty.
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The Cash Consideration and the Contingent Consideration could be considerably less if the Montreal Sale is not closed prior to the closing of the merger, or if the Company sells the Montreal joint venture interests on terms other than those currently provided for in the Montreal Sale Agreement. If the proceeds of the Montreal Sale are insufficient to fully satisfy the outstanding debt on the properties owned by the Montreal joint venture, then the Company would be obligated to contribute to the repayment of the deficiency in accordance with its outstanding guaranty of the debt, currently approximately CAD$56.0 million. In such event, the Cash Consideration per share would be reduced by a pro-rata portion of the amount necessary to discharge the guaranty.
Harrison Street, the merger agreement provides for the creation of a non-transferrable contingent value right (“CVR”) whereby shareholders will receive approximately $6.23 per share in cash at the closing of the merger (based upon current exchange rates) and one CVR per share. If the CVRs are issued, a representative of the shareholders will be authorized to conduct a sale of the Montreal joint venture and each CVR will represent a share of the net proceeds from the sale of the Montreal joint venture and release of the Company’s guaranty of the joint venture’s indebtedness. Though dependent upon the final sales price of Campus Crest’s interest in the evo Montreal properties, the Company currently estimates the value of the CVR at approximately $0.80 per share based on the expected sales price of the Montreal properties and current exchange rates. If the net proceeds from the sale of the Montreal properties are lower than expected or are not sufficient to pay off the guaranteed indebtedness, then the value of the CVR could be substantially less.
–> Harrison Street, the merger agreement provides for the creation of a non-transferrable contingent value right (“CVR”) whereby shareholders will receive approximately $6.23 per share in cash at the closing of the merger (based upon current exchange rates) and one CVR per share. If the CVRs are issued, a representative of the shareholders will be authorized to conduct a sale of the Montreal joint venture and each CVR will represent a share of the net proceeds from the sale of the Montreal joint venture and release of the Company’s guaranty of the joint venture’s indebtedness. Though dependent upon the final sales price of Campus Crest’s interest in the evo Montreal properties, the Company currently estimates the value of the CVR at approximately $0.80 per share based on the expected sales price of the Montreal properties and current exchange rates. If the net proceeds from the sale of the Montreal properties are lower than expected or are not sufficient to pay off the guaranteed indebtedness, then the value of the CVR could be substantially less.
–>
If the Montreal Sale does not occur prior to the closing of the merger with Harrison Street, the merger agreement provides for the creation of a non-transferrable contingent value right (“CVR”) whereby shareholders will receive approximately $6.23 per share in cash at the closing of the merger (based upon current exchange rates) and one CVR per share. If the CVRs are issued, a representative of the shareholders will be authorized to conduct a sale of the Montreal joint venture and each CVR will represent a share of the net proceeds from the sale of the Montreal joint venture and release of the Company’s guaranty of the joint venture’s indebtedness. Though dependent upon the final sales price of Campus Crest’s interest in the evo Montreal properties, the Company currently estimates the value of the CVR at approximately $0.80 per share based on the expected sales price of the Montreal properties and current exchange rates. If the net proceeds from the sale of the Montreal properties are lower than expected or are not sufficient to pay off the guaranteed indebtedness, then the value of the CVR could be substantially less.
October 16, 2015, and a 35% premium over the Company’s 60-day volume weighted average price.
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October 16, 2015, and a 35% premium over the Company’s 60-day volume weighted average price.
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The total estimated consideration represents a 24% premium over the most recent closing stock price on October 16, 2015, and a 35% premium over the Company’s 60-day volume weighted average price.
Richard Kahlbaugh, Non-Executive Chairman of Campus Crest, said, “Beginning in October of 2014, our Board initiated an undertaking to simplify the business model, change executive management and maximize shareholder value through a comprehensive strategic review process. We are pleased to announce that after thoroughly analyzing numerous proposals, including a number of qualified potential buyers and a range of alternative transactions, the Board unanimously determined that this transaction is the best course of action in achieving our goal to maximize shareholder value. We are pleased that Harrison Street recognizes the value inherent in our portfolio of high-quality student housing properties.”
–> Richard Kahlbaugh, Non-Executive Chairman of Campus Crest, said, “Beginning in October of 2014, our Board initiated an undertaking to simplify the business model, change executive management and maximize shareholder value through a comprehensive strategic review process. We are pleased to announce that after thoroughly analyzing numerous proposals, including a number of qualified potential buyers and a range of alternative transactions, the Board unanimously determined that this transaction is the best course of action in achieving our goal to maximize shareholder value. We are pleased that Harrison Street recognizes the value inherent in our portfolio of high-quality student housing properties.”
–>
Richard Kahlbaugh, Non-Executive Chairman of Campus Crest, said, “Beginning in October of 2014, our Board initiated an undertaking to simplify the business model, change executive management and maximize shareholder value through a comprehensive strategic review process. We are pleased to announce that after thoroughly analyzing numerous proposals, including a number of qualified potential buyers and a range of alternative transactions, the Board unanimously determined that this transaction is the best course of action in achieving our goal to maximize shareholder value. We are pleased that Harrison Street recognizes the value inherent in our portfolio of high-quality student housing properties.”
Harrison Street co-founder, President and CEO Christopher Merrill.
–> Harrison Street co-founder, President and CEO Christopher Merrill.
–>
“As a significant owner of student housing assets, we are pleased to add these attractive properties to our portfolio. The need for high-quality off-campus housing continues to grow and we believe this sector has strong long-term fundamentals that will drive sustainable returns,” said Harrison Street co-founder, President and CEO Christopher Merrill.
Approvals and Anticipated Merger Closing
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Approvals and Anticipated Merger Closing
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Approvals and Anticipated Merger Closing
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–>
Although completion of the merger is contingent upon customary closing conditions, the transaction is not subject to a financing condition. The Company will convene a special meeting to seek the approval of Campus Crest shareholders. The transaction is currently anticipated to close during the first quarter of 2016.
$100,000,000 of 4.75% Senior Exchangeable Notes Series A Notes due 2018 will be repaid, and that Campus Crest’s $152,500,000 of 8.0% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock will be redeemed.
–>
$100,000,000 of 4.75% Senior Exchangeable Notes Series A Notes due 2018 will be repaid, and that Campus Crest’s $152,500,000 of 8.0% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock will be redeemed.
–>
In connection with the closing of the transaction, the parties intend that Campus Crest’s $100,000,000 of 4.75% Senior Exchangeable Notes Series A Notes due 2018 will be repaid, and that Campus Crest’s $152,500,000 of 8.0% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock will be redeemed.
Kilpatrick Townsend Stockton LLP is acting as the Company’s legal advisor. Raymond James and Associates, Inc. is acting as Harrison Street’s financial advisor and DLA Piper LLP (US) is acting as legal advisor to Harrison Street.
–> Kilpatrick Townsend Stockton LLP is acting as the Company’s legal advisor. Raymond James and Associates, Inc. is acting as Harrison Street’s financial advisor and DLA Piper LLP (US) is acting as legal advisor to Harrison Street.
–>
Moelis Company LLC acted as financial advisor to Campus Crest and Kilpatrick Townsend Stockton LLP is acting as the Company’s legal advisor. Raymond James and Associates, Inc. is acting as Harrison Street’s financial advisor and DLA Piper LLP (US) is acting as legal advisor to Harrison Street.
About Campus Crest Communities, Inc.
–>
About Campus Crest Communities, Inc.
–>
About Campus Crest Communities, Inc.
North America. Additional information can be found on the Company’s website at http://www.campuscrest.com.
–> North America. Additional information can be found on the Company’s website at http://www.campuscrest.com.
–>
Campus Crest Communities, Inc. is a leading owner and manager of high-quality student housing properties located close to college campuses in targeted markets. It has ownership interests in 79 student housing properties with over 42,000 beds across North America. Additional information can be found on the Company’s website at http://www.campuscrest.com.
About Harrison Street Real Estate Capital:
–>
About Harrison Street Real Estate Capital:
–>
About Harrison Street Real Estate Capital:
Christopher Merrill, Chris Galvin (former Chairman CEO of Motorola) Mike Galvin (former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Commerce Department for Export Administration) that directly and through its affiliates, has approximately $8 billion in assets under management (AUM) through commingled funds and public securities products. The commingled funds focus exclusively on the Education, Healthcare and Storage segments of the US European real estate markets. Since inception, the Firm has acquired or developed over $10 billion of real estate throughout 480 properties in 40 states including over 63,000 student housing beds, more than 14,000 senior housing units, over 5.9 million square feet of medical office space, and more than 92,000 self-storage units. For more information please visit www.harrisonst.com.
–> Christopher Merrill, Chris Galvin (former Chairman CEO of Motorola) Mike Galvin (former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Commerce Department for Export Administration) that directly and through its affiliates, has approximately $8 billion in assets under management (AUM) through commingled funds and public securities products. The commingled funds focus exclusively on the Education, Healthcare and Storage segments of the US European real estate markets. Since inception, the Firm has acquired or developed over $10 billion of real estate throughout 480 properties in 40 states including over 63,000 student housing beds, more than 14,000 senior housing units, over 5.9 million square feet of medical office space, and more than 92,000 self-storage units. For more information please visit www.harrisonst.com.
–>
Harrison Street Real Estate Capital is a real estate private equity firm founded in 2005 by real estate veteran Christopher Merrill, Chris Galvin (former Chairman CEO of Motorola) Mike Galvin (former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Commerce Department for Export Administration) that directly and through its affiliates, has approximately $8 billion in assets under management (AUM) through commingled funds and public securities products. The commingled funds focus exclusively on the Education, Healthcare and Storage segments of the US European real estate markets. Since inception, the Firm has acquired or developed over $10 billion of real estate throughout 480 properties in 40 states including over 63,000 student housing beds, more than 14,000 senior housing units, over 5.9 million square feet of medical office space, and more than 92,000 self-storage units. For more information please visit www.harrisonst.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
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Forward-Looking Statements
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Forward-Looking Statements
Harrison Street, may be identified by the inclusion of words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “goal” and variations of such words and other similar expressions, and are based on current expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections that are subject to change, and actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements. These statements, as they relate to the Company or Harrison Street, the management of either such company or the proposed merger, involve risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements or industry results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Many factors, including the following, could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement or the purchase agreement for the Montreal Sale; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company and others following announcement of the merger agreement; the inability to complete the proposed merger due to the failure to satisfy the conditions to the merger, including obtaining the approval of the Company’s shareholders, lender consents and other closing conditions more fully described in the merger agreement; risks that the proposed merger disrupts current plans and operations of the Company; potential difficulties in employee retention as a result of the proposed merger; the value of any CVRs which may be issued in connection with the merger; legislative, regulatory and economic developments; risks related to disruption of management’s attention from the Company’s ongoing business operations due to the proposed merger; the effect of the announcement of the proposed merger on the Company’s relationships with colleges and universities, relationships with tenants, operating results and business generally, and other risks and uncertainties described under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2015 and June 30, 2015 and in other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) by the Company. Given these uncertainties, current and prospective investors should be cautioned in their reliance on such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update any such factors or to publicly announce the results of any revision to any of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect future events or developments. A more comprehensive discussion of risks, uncertainties, financial reporting restatements, and forward-looking statements may be seen in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other periodic filings with the SEC.
–> Harrison Street, may be identified by the inclusion of words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “goal” and variations of such words and other similar expressions, and are based on current expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections that are subject to change, and actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements. These statements, as they relate to the Company or Harrison Street, the management of either such company or the proposed merger, involve risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements or industry results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Many factors, including the following, could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement or the purchase agreement for the Montreal Sale; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company and others following announcement of the merger agreement; the inability to complete the proposed merger due to the failure to satisfy the conditions to the merger, including obtaining the approval of the Company’s shareholders, lender consents and other closing conditions more fully described in the merger agreement; risks that the proposed merger disrupts current plans and operations of the Company; potential difficulties in employee retention as a result of the proposed merger; the value of any CVRs which may be issued in connection with the merger; legislative, regulatory and economic developments; risks related to disruption of management’s attention from the Company’s ongoing business operations due to the proposed merger; the effect of the announcement of the proposed merger on the Company’s relationships with colleges and universities, relationships with tenants, operating results and business generally, and other risks and uncertainties described under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2015 and June 30, 2015 and in other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) by the Company. Given these uncertainties, current and prospective investors should be cautioned in their reliance on such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update any such factors or to publicly announce the results of any revision to any of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect future events or developments. A more comprehensive discussion of risks, uncertainties, financial reporting restatements, and forward-looking statements may be seen in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other periodic filings with the SEC.
–>
This communication contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements, which include statements regarding the proposed merger between the Company and Harrison Street, may be identified by the inclusion of words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “goal” and variations of such words and other similar expressions, and are based on current expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections that are subject to change, and actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements. These statements, as they relate to the Company or Harrison Street, the management of either such company or the proposed merger, involve risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements or industry results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Many factors, including the following, could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement or the purchase agreement for the Montreal Sale; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company and others following announcement of the merger agreement; the inability to complete the proposed merger due to the failure to satisfy the conditions to the merger, including obtaining the approval of the Company’s shareholders, lender consents and other closing conditions more fully described in the merger agreement; risks that the proposed merger disrupts current plans and operations of the Company; potential difficulties in employee retention as a result of the proposed merger; the value of any CVRs which may be issued in connection with the merger; legislative, regulatory and economic developments; risks related to disruption of management’s attention from the Company’s ongoing business operations due to the proposed merger; the effect of the announcement of the proposed merger on the Company’s relationships with colleges and universities, relationships with tenants, operating results and business generally, and other risks and uncertainties described under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2015 and June 30, 2015 and in other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) by the Company. Given these uncertainties, current and prospective investors should be cautioned in their reliance on such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update any such factors or to publicly announce the results of any revision to any of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect future events or developments. A more comprehensive discussion of risks, uncertainties, financial reporting restatements, and forward-looking statements may be seen in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other periodic filings with the SEC.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
–>
Additional Information and Where to Find It
–>
Additional Information and Where to Find It
Harrison Street. SHAREHOLDERS ARE ADVISED TO READ, WHEN AVAILABLE, CAMPUS CREST’S PRELIMINARY PROXY STATEMENT AND DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOLICITATION OF PROXIES FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING BECAUSE THESE STATEMENTS WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. The definitive proxy statement will be mailed to shareholders as of a record date to be established for voting on the proposed merger. Shareholders will also be able to obtain a copy of the proxy statement, without charge, by directing a request to: Campus Crest, Investor Relations, 2100 Rexford Road, Suite 400, Charlotte, NC 28211, or at its website, www.campuscrest.com. The preliminary proxy statement and definitive proxy statement, once available, can also be obtained, without charge, at the SEC’s internet site (http://www.sec.gov).
–> Harrison Street. SHAREHOLDERS ARE ADVISED TO READ, WHEN AVAILABLE, CAMPUS CREST’S PRELIMINARY PROXY STATEMENT AND DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOLICITATION OF PROXIES FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING BECAUSE THESE STATEMENTS WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. The definitive proxy statement will be mailed to shareholders as of a record date to be established for voting on the proposed merger. Shareholders will also be able to obtain a copy of the proxy statement, without charge, by directing a request to: Campus Crest, Investor Relations, 2100 Rexford Road, Suite 400, Charlotte, NC 28211, or at its website, www.campuscrest.com. The preliminary proxy statement and definitive proxy statement, once available, can also be obtained, without charge, at the SEC’s internet site (http://www.sec.gov).
–>
A full description of the terms of the merger and the merger agreement will be provided in the proxy statement that Campus Crest intends to file with the SEC to be used at its special meeting of shareholders in lieu of an annual meeting to approve the proposed transaction with Harrison Street. SHAREHOLDERS ARE ADVISED TO READ, WHEN AVAILABLE, CAMPUS CREST’S PRELIMINARY PROXY STATEMENT AND DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOLICITATION OF PROXIES FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING BECAUSE THESE STATEMENTS WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. The definitive proxy statement will be mailed to shareholders as of a record date to be established for voting on the proposed merger. Shareholders will also be able to obtain a copy of the proxy statement, without charge, by directing a request to: Campus Crest, Investor Relations, 2100 Rexford Road, Suite 400, Charlotte, NC 28211, or at its website, www.campuscrest.com. The preliminary proxy statement and definitive proxy statement, once available, can also be obtained, without charge, at the SEC’s internet site (http://www.sec.gov).
Participants in Solicitation
–>
Participants in Solicitation
–>
Participants in Solicitation
December 31, 2014 (the “Form 10-K”) as filed with the SEC on April 1, 2015 and Amendment No. 1 to the Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on August 25, 2015.
–>
December 31, 2014 (the “Form 10-K”) as filed with the SEC on April 1, 2015 and Amendment No. 1 to the Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on August 25, 2015.
–>
The directors, executive officers and certain other members of management and employees of the Company may be deemed “participants” in the solicitation of proxies from shareholders of the Company in favor of the proposed merger. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be considered participants in the solicitation of the shareholders of the Company in connection with the proposed Merger will be set forth in the proxy statement and the other relevant documents to be filed with the SEC. You can find information about the Company’s executive officers and directors in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 (the “Form 10-K”) as filed with the SEC on April 1, 2015 and Amendment No. 1 to the Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on August 25, 2015.
When clouds of aromatic smoke billow into the Piedmont’s October skies, you know the Lexington Barbecue Festival is cooking, with about 150,000 hungry locals and visitors jamming downtown Lexington’s Main Street. Roughly 15,000 pounds of chopped barbecue – Lexington style, with reddened vinegar-based sauce and smoked shoulder – are served and sold on a single day.
This year, it’s Oct. 24.
The city’s reputation for solid barbecue goes back more than a century. Oddly enough, this famous event was only started in 1984, long after ’cue hounds began to earnestly debate the relative merits of Lexington and Eastern North Carolina styles. (The tussle continues; partisans of each have stymied the other’s attempts to designate an official state barbecue.)
Visit North Carolina – the state’s travel and tourism arm – has gone a bit further on its website, writing that Lexington “has become almost synonymous with North Carolina barbecue at its best.”
Various N.C. barbecue maps usually require an inset to locate the many barbecue restaurants in the Lexington area. The one offered locally – and free of charge – is the size of a calendar page and lists 50 places; about 10,000 of these maps are given out every year.
You can pick one up at the Lexington Visitor Center, 114 E. Center St. That’s two blocks from Main Street, where the festival will be held on the roughly nine blocks between Third Street and Fourth Avenue.
At the Oct. 24 festival, by-the-sandwich meat is sold out of three huge tents operated by four choice Lexington restaurants: The Barbecue Center, Smokey Joe’s Barbecue, Speedy’s Barbecue and Stamey’s Barbecue.
The free-admission festival runs 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Lines can be longer toward lunch and supper times.
But you’ll find more than meat at the event. The grandstand on the square offers a full day of music that culminates in a 3:30 p.m. jam by country artists Craig Campbell, Lauren Alaina, Granger Smith and William Michael Morgan. There are five other outdoor stages, including one set aside for kids. Music featured on various stages ranges from beach (The Embers and Jim Quick Coastline start the day on different stages) to Departure, a Journey tribute band. There’s also a stage inside the Edward C. Smith Civic Center.
A wine garden featuring Yadkin Valley wineries ($15) features tastings. A Childress Wineries booth at the festival will be selling a commemorative Fine Swine Wine; the label was designed by N.C. artist Bob Timberlake, who will be autographing bottles sold that morning. A beer garden will be up and running as well.
Besides a carnival area for kids, there’s a juried arts and crafts show, a lumberjack sports show with chainsaw athletics, bicycle stunt shows, a climbing wall, pig races and a pair of car shows – one for antique vehicles, one for ’Vettes.
New this year is a Friday pre-party (6-10 p.m.), with free admission and free music.
The festival’s centerpiece is a 50-ton sand sculpture on Main Street; as in past years, it was crafted in advance for photo opportunities.
That display, of course, always features pigs.
Oinks for the memories
Lexington is an hour northeast of Charlotte. Take I-85 North to Exit 87; follow I-85 Business North to Exit 86, then U.S. 29 Business East – Main Street – to the festival area. Details: www.barbecuefestival.com.
KINSTON, N.C. (WNCT) – Pope Francis is back in Vatican City with a bowl made right here in Eastern North Carolina. It’s one of three made at Lenox China Factory in Kinston.
The second bowl is in France and the third is now on display at the Kinston Lenoir County Visitors Center. The bowl has decals of the St. Peters Cathedral at the Vatican and the Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Lenoir County Tourism Director Lucy Marston says the visitors center received it’s bowl this week.
“It makes me feel very special and very privileged and very honored that they are entrusting me in this piece of history,” explained Lucy Marston.
Marston says the bowl will stay on display at the visitors center until December 11. It will then return to Lenox China Factory and kept in its archives.
ASHEVILLE — Two city appointees to the board controlling the local hotel room tax faced pointed questions from City Council members this week, including whether they would try to give the city direct access to some of the $14 million tax fund, most of which now goes to tourism marketing.
The questions came Tuesday during a public interview process of two applicants to the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority. The council voted 6-0 to appoint Himanshu Karvir, general manager of the Holiday Inn Asheville — Biltmore West, and 5-1 to appoint John Luckett, general manager of the Grand Bohemian Hotel Asheville.
Councilman Gordon Smith was the lone no vote. Mayor Esther Manheimer recused herself because a fellow attorney at her employer, Van Winkle Law Firm, represents the authority. Grove Park Inn Managing Director Gary Froeba and Dennis Hulsing, owner of Hulsing Hotels, Crowne Plaza Resort and Four Points Downtown Asheville, also applied but were not able to attend the interviews, Vice Mayor Marc Hunt said.
Before the votes council members pressed the applicants on whether they would advocate a change in the state legislation that now mandates the lodging tax revenue be used primarily for boosting hotel business. Tourism marketing gets 75 percent of the money, while 25 percent goes toward projects that also by state law must increase hotel room nights. Projects have included renovations to what is now the U.S. Cellular Center; grants to businesses, such as a zipline company and an indoor rock climbing business; and the John B. Lewis Soccer Complex.
Councilman Chris Pelly said Asheville is struggling to keep up roads and other infrastructure that get used by tourists and asked how appointees envisioned helping Asheville do that. Councilwoman Gwen Wisler noted the General Assembly’s recent increase of the room occupancy tax from 4 percent to 6 percent. That was done at the urging of local hoteliers who said the hike was needed to expand tourism marketing.
“Do you ever envision a time…that the TDA would ever consider going back to the General Assembly and saying, ‘OK, leave it 6 percent, but let’s swap it around so there’s more money for infrastructure?” Wisler said.
Luckett said he would “certainly work in coordination with the TDA…in doing what’s best for the community and tourism overall,” but then he added, “that’s a hard question to answer.”
Karvir said he could envision at some point transferring money from marketing to the projects fund.
Both Luckett and Karvir defended the use of the tax money to increase tourism. They said the tax increase, which hotel guests pay on top of a 7 percent sales tax, is needed because more hotels are being built. More hotels mean more competition and that will lower room rates, they said. To counter that, the additional tourism marketing will bring more hotel guests and help bring room prices back up, they said.
Karvir, whose family’s hotel is far west of downtown, said just because downtown hotels are bursting doesn’t mean hotels outside downtown are full.
“I’ve been at that Holiday Inn since 2003. We saw the Great Recession come by and then Interstate 40 was closed from a rock slide…really the marketing efforts of the TDA and (Convention and Visitor’s Bureau) really got us through those tough times,” he said.
Councilman Cecil Bothwell, though, criticized the tax increase, saying it was designed to fix a problem created by the hoteliers and developers.
“To me, the argument that we need to keep rates up to help hotels do well is empty because if developers are building too many hotels, it is not our fault,” Bothwell said.
He asked if the applicants would be willing to give preference to the city when it applied for grant money from the project fund. That is the only way city taxpayers get help, he said, since project money could free up city revenue for other needs.
Luckett didn’t answer directly but said that increasing tourism would lead to more tax revenue. That would mean more money for projects, he said. The city would also have less competition in the grant process since the recent state law changes included a provision blocking project money going to businesses.
“With the change on removing for-profit organizations, that only increases the city’s chances. In addition with the hotel tax increase from 4 to 6 percent, that bucket of money…is naturally going to increase,” he said.
Karvir said he would push for local governments to get money first if they had projects that qualified.
“I would make sure that as long as the criteria is met — that we are looking at increasing room nights — that funding is provided to the city and the county or any other municipality coming forward,” he said.
This past spring council members and hoteliers clashed over the increase in the room tax. City officials had been asking for some of the room tax to go toward affordable housing and said hoteliers didn’t tell them they were talking with legislators about more money for tourism. Smith praised Karvir for reaching out to council members during that time and trying to bring the warring parties together.
Before making the two appointments, the council announced it would require applicants to go through public interviews, a rarity among city volunteer boards.
But the councilman asked Luckett pointedly if increasing tourism marketing wouldn’t just bring about more hotel construction and hoteliers would again find themselves with more competition.
“It sounds like the logic is now that we’re going to market to fill these rooms. Eventually, they will fill, and we will be here again,” Smith said.
When is too many? When do we say that we have more than we can handle?”
Luckett said, “I’m not sure that’s for me to answer.” To which Smith responded, “It’s a question I have for you though.”
The Grand Bohemian manager responded that the local tourism industry will not always be on a high note and marketing will likely continue to be needed.
“I guess if every hotel is filled up at 100 percent occupancy, then that would be enough,” he said.
Striking more conciliatory notes were Vice Mayor Marc Hunt and Councilman Jan Davis. Hunt said from the city’s end, it could have done better communicating with its appointees.
“I would like to look forward to better coordination over time, so we are less apart,” Hunt said.
Davis said he regretted that appointees had to go through the interview process. He said council members were “ruffled” at how the tax increase happened, “but it’s there folks.”
“Personally my statement to you guys is this has every opportunity to be a great partnership. If we come in acting as if this is an us-versus-them thing, that may not happen.”
The appointees will take seats on the newly expanded nine-member authority. By state law, a majority of authority members must be hoteliers or be associated with other businesses such as bed and breakfasts that pay the room tax. A total of four authority members are city appointees.The county Board of Commissioners also appoints four members and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce appoints one.
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