State and federal authorities have approved plans — but not the funding — for a high-speed passenger rail line between Richmond and Raleigh, N.C., that would cut nearly in half the travel time between the two capitals and return rail service to a part of Southside Virginia that saw its tracks torn up nearly 30 years ago.
The project is part of a larger plan to bring faster train service between Washington and Atlanta. The Richmond-to-Raleigh route would take just over 2 hours, compared with the 3.5 hours it takes today.
“This approval is an important step toward a higher-speed rail system that will enhance our efforts to build a new Virginia economy,” Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said in a written statement.
“Higher-speed rail is one of my administration’s top transportation priorities because it will generate new economic activity and improve Virginians’ quality of life. I look forward to the advancement of this important project.”
According to the plan’s just-approved environmental impact statement, a key project milestone, about 35 miles would be shaved off the trip from Richmond to Raleigh by using the current Amtrak route to Petersburg, then restoring service on an abandoned rail line through Dinwiddie, Brunswick and Mecklenburg counties and before crossing into North Carolina. The trains would travel up to 110 mph.
The current Amtrak route for its Carolinian service goes from Petersburg south to Rocky Mount, N.C., before heading west to Raleigh and then on to Charlotte, N.C.
Mecklenburg County Tourism Director Justin Kerns said a planned station in the small town of La Crosse could attract more visitors to the area known as Virginia’s Lake Country.
“Economically speaking, it would be great for La Crosse,” Kerns said. “That’s a marketing dream for us to be able to say hey, we’ve got high-speed rail that comes right to our area. All of a sudden, it’s easy to get here.”
The plan as described in the environmental impact statement calls for eliminating every level-grade rail crossing along the line — closing some and building dozens of bridges to carry automobiles over or under the tracks.
Transportation officials estimate they will need $4 billion to buy the land, lay track and build roads, bridges and stations along the route. Full funding for the effort has not been secured.
“Without a strong passenger rail system, the Southeast’s growth will be choked by congestion for a very long time,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement announcing state and federal approval of the final environmental study of the plan. “High-speed rail in this region is not a luxury but a necessity.”
Danny Plaugher, executive director of Virginians for High Speed Rail, applauded the news but said connecting Richmond to Hampton Roads should occur first. That route would connect two-thirds of the state’s population via rail, he said.
“I think getting the study done is an important factor and will help us get the environmental impact study for Richmond to Hampton Roads done,” he said.
The environmental sign-off for the Richmond-to-Raleigh route is the second of three steps before construction can begin. The final step, called a record of decision, is expected by the end of the year and would allow work to begin once funding is identified.
That would be followed by a series of public hearings in Virginia and North Carolina next spring.
“The approval of the (environmental impact study) toward a higher speed rail system opens up even more opportunity for growth along the I-95 rail corridor,” Virginia Secretary of Transportation Aubrey L. Layne said. “(The approval) brings us one step closer to achieving that goal of a connected corridor for freight and passenger rail.”
When the fall leaves change in the South, the whole nation takes to the region’s roads and trails to enjoy the change of scenery. Winding roads and cool air make for great adventure from September through November.
People typically think of New England and the Mid Atlantic when it comes to fall foliage, and those regions generate millions of dollars in tourism every fall. However, the South also has its fair share of fall foliage sites worth visiting if you cannot make the journey north.
Whether you visit the Appalachians, Ozarks or Texas Hill Country for your fall foliage fix, there are plenty of places to drive or hike to enjoy nature. This article focuses on places to see leaves: Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas and Missouri. That’s not to say other Southern states have fall leaves and other fun, autumn activities as well.
As the weather cools down and the leaves start to turn, enjoy taking your family out to see these seven sites throughout the South.
Other Sites to see Fall Leaves:
Here are some other areas worth going to when wanting to see fall leaves that didn’t make the list.
Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina: located between Asheville and Boone, Grandfather Mountain is known for its scenic beauty and unique natural features.
Chattahoochee National Forest, Georgia: White County does not have a monopoly on fall foliage in Georgia. There is plenty more to see in the North Georgia region.
Grayson Highlands State Park, Virginia: Home to Mount Rogers, the highest point in Virginia, Grayson Highlands State Park also provides scenic views and curvy roads perfect for travel during the autumn season.
It’s no secret: The shortage of affordable housing in the Asheville area is one of our community’s biggest problems.
Contributing factors include a growing population, the high demand for both apartments and houses, the particular challenges of building in the mountains and the low wages paid by many local employers.
Earlier this summer, Xpress decided to take a different tack in exploring the issue. We approached experts from various segments of the community to answer a deceptively simple question: “What would it take to solve the Asheville area’s affordable housing problem?”
We received 19 thoughtful essays from a range of community members, including developers, academics, nonprofit leaders, lenders and those personally affected by the crisis. Those pieces were published in a three-part series starting July 29. (See links to all the online essays at http://mountainx.com/?p=529918.)
Seeking yet another angle on the question, we’ve sifted through the essays — and the lively debate they generated in the form of online comments and letters to the editor — to recap the important points raised and the various solutions suggested.
Defining the problem
“Market forces that make Buncombe County such a highly desirable and sought-out place to visit and live have triggered a huge surge in housing costs, whether rentals or sales,” said David Gantt, chairman of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. “Making matters worse is a rental vacancy rate near zero. And meanwhile, the Great Recession left many future Buncombe County residents unable to sell their homes and move here, creating a pent-up demand for homes to buy.”
Developer Pat Whalen, president of Public Interest Projects Inc., zeroed in on one key aspect: “High demand (Asheville’s livability) + limited land and housing supply = expensive housing. Why is the supply limited? Buildable land is scarce and expensive.”
And Lew Kraus, executive director of Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, added: “We live in an area that thrives on tourism, health care and manufacturing. But with a huge discrepancy between high housing costs and low wages, many people have been priced out of the housing market.”
Effects of the crisis
Several essayists described how the effects of the housing crisis have rippled through the whole fabric of the community.
“While Asheville becomes known as a magical place to live, those of us who are working-class pay the price of that fame,” Emma resident Mirian Porras told essayist/neighbor Andrea Golden. “When landlords sit down to talk about raising rents because more people want to move to Emma, they’re not thinking about the miserable wages that we earn that barely allow our families to eat. We need regulations on how rents are raised. How much more money can they take from us if we have nothing left?”
That thought was echoed by Chantelle, who commented on Xpress’ website: “Someone should look into the apartment complexes that are hiking rates by $75-$150 per month for long-term residents, decreasing maintenance activity and overall lowering acceptable tenant standards. This does not support Asheville’s movement toward more affordable or safe housing.”
Robin Merrell, Pisgah Legal Services
And over at Pisgah Legal Services, Robin Merrell and the nonprofit’s Housing Team noted, “We talk to thousands of people every year who pay too much for rent, live too far from work and/or live in substandard conditions.”
The affordable housing crisis makes it even harder for homeless folks to find permanent residences, observed Brian K. Alexander, executive director of Homeward Bound of WNC, which works in Buncombe and Henderson counties. “Every day, our case managers work to find safe, affordable places for our clients to live,” Alexander wrote. “Now, however, we simply cannot find those homes. This situation puts the lives of some of our community’s most vulnerable members at risk. Living on the streets for long periods of time exacerbates chronic behavioral and physical health issues that often lead to premature death.”
Vicki Meath, Executive Director, Just Economics
The problem also affects those who receive housing assistance, said Vicki Meath, executive director of Just Economics, a nonprofit working to establish a living wage. “We need to understand the transition from what was once public housing to Section 8 vouchers, and that many people with those vouchers have no place to use them, due to the overall lack of affordable housing.”
And UNC Asheville political science professor Dwight B. Mullen drew attention to how the crisis has affected the city’s African-American residents: “Data indicate that the black population is in decline even as the city’s overall population increases dramatically. … African-Americans in their 20s and 30s are choosing to leave the area for places that seem more hospitable and satisfying. …
Dwight Mullen, Professor of Political Science, UNC Asheville
“Poor pay and job opportunities are major components that contribute to self-exile. Young white people also face these factors, but black earnings, on average, are significantly lower than whites’. Black family income that averages just over $32,000 a year will not qualify for homeownership in Asheville. Why stay where you can’t live?”
Solution: Provide more capital
Suggestions on how to solve the affordable housing crisis ran the gamut, from streamlining development to ramping up housing cooperatives. Here’s a breakdown, starting with the availability of capital.
“We cannot view this as a problem that the market alone can solve,” wrote Jane Hatley, the Self-Help Credit Union’s WNC regional director. “Fortunately, Asheville has high-performing nonprofit developers who, with appropriate subsidies, can build, preserve and maintain homes. One strategy might be for more lenders to follow the lead of wonderful organizations like Mountain Housing Opportunities and think more in terms of the social impact involved, i.e., accepting more risk in order to make more housing happen.”
Several essayists suggested increasing the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Lindsey Simerly, chair of the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, wrote: “Increasing the annual allocation to our Affordable Housing Trust Fund will further drive development of high-quality units. The fund subsidized the Larchmont and Glen Rock projects, providing attractive, permanently affordable rental units in North Asheville and the River Arts District.”
Merrell of Pisgah Legal Services suggested establishing a similar county fund and allocating some of the room-occupancy tax revenue for affordable housing. (On Sept. 1, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved an increase in the tax on a 4-3 vote, but the proceeds will continue to be used to promote tourism and tourism-related projects.)
Solution: Increase density
Several essayists advocated increasing the density, including Whalen of Public Interest Projects, who wrote: “One solution (certainly not the only one) would be to actively encourage more density in the city’s center, where people might actually be able to walk to work or, from the central bus station, catch just one bus to get to work. Imagine the effect on density and affordable living if our zoning encouraged affordable and middle-income, workforce, multifamily housing within a half-mile (or even 1 mile) radius of downtown.”
Similarly, Merrell said, “Significantly increase density in zoning districts: When a developer can build more units per acre, the units cost less.”
Harry Pilos, downtown developer
Downtown developer Harry Pilos agreed, saying, “Increase allowable density: more apartments, less land.”
On the Xpress’ website, however, “Jaded Local” questioned whether increased density would really help: “There may be compelling arguments in its favor, but given that downtown is the densest part of Asheville and has the most expensive housing in town, affordability is not one of them. Flooding the city, as developers have been doing in recent years, with $800,000 houses and condos has been adding to the pool but just gives those who can afford an $800,000 house or condo more choices and does nothing for those who can only afford a $100,000 house or condo.”
“Generating tax money is a good case for density,” this writer continued. “But as downtown shows, density does not translate into affordability.”
Another online commenter, Leicester resident Alan Ditmore, blamed the problem on the city’s unified development ordinance, writing: “It’s simple. The crisis is one of total housing supply — not enough units — and it is caused by the UDO with its single-family zoning, unit density limits, residential height limits, setbacks and parking requirements. Reversing the crisis will require the total defeat of all neighborhood activists.”
BUILDING COMMUNITY: A family strolls through Westmore Apartments in West Asheville. The nonprofit Mountain Housing Opportunities developed and built the 72-home apartment complex, which offers affordable rents and a host of amenities. The green and sustainably constructed complex also includes solar hot water heating for residents.
Solution: Expand transportation options
In an Aug. 26 letter to the editor, Asheville City Council member Cecil Bothwell addressed the role that transportation plays in the issue. “Develop countywide transit, with park-and-ride lots on major corridors and late-night collector routes for food-service employees who work past midnight,” he wrote. “This would make transportation more affordable, which translates into making housing at the city margins even more affordable, and it would relieve parking pressure downtown.”
But fellow City Council member Gordon Smith disagreed. “Socio-economic diversity makes Asheville strong, and pushing lower-income people to the margins is antithetical to that,” he asserted on the Xpress website. “Improving transit is a good idea. Each bus costs about $500,000; each route costs about $900,000 per year. Paying for transit service is and has been an enormous challenge, and the best we’ve managed to do is expand to Sunday service on limited routes and make our existing routes more efficient and effective.”
Bothwell countered: “City policy cannot choose ‘a policy that relegates working people to the margins’ — it is economic reality. City policy cannot possibly defeat the market. … We have made a little progress, but the fact that Asheville rents are broadly unaffordable for workers after 10 years of effort that’s called the best in N.C. might suggest to a reasonable person that the effort is failing.”
Solution: Create inclusionary policies
Several writers backed the idea of requiring developers to include a certain amount of affordable housing in new projects.
“We strongly encourage including a certain percentage of affordable houses or apartments in every project,” wrote Barber Melton, a member of Asheville’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee who also serves as vice president of the Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods.
And committee chair Simerly added: “Mandating that housing be inclusionary is a strategy that’s working across the state and nation. This policy requires every new development to include a percentage of affordable housing. An added benefit: Inclusionary zoning strengthens neighborhood resiliency and builds community across income levels.”
Meath of Just Economics, meanwhile, wrote, “It may be time for Asheville, regardless of the legal threats, to push the envelope on mandatory inclusionary zoning, which is used in 44 other states.”
Solution: Pay a living wage
Meath also strongly argued for boosting local wages: “The business community and elected officials need to understand the impact that low wages, underfunded public transit and nonexistent affordable housing have on workforce availability,” she wrote. “Just Economics’ living wage (currently $12.50 per hour, or $11 per hour with employer-provided health insurance) is the bare minimum of what it takes for a single individual to afford a one-bedroom apartment in the county. It’s a better starting place, not an end goal.
“And meanwhile, a high percentage of downtown workers aren’t making even this bare minimum wage, lack full-time work or have dependents,” continued Meath. “So what happens to Asheville when there’s nowhere near the city that workers can afford to live? We need the business community to embrace a living wage and support infrastructure investments for the workforce.”
Shannon Kauffman, Habitat homeowner
Fellow essayist Shannon Kauffman, a Habitat for Humanity homeowner, also sounded the alarm about wages: “We must address the housing crisis now, before it’s too late. I believe this can be done by requiring employers to pay their employees a living wage — which, like affordable housing, is also an endangered species here. I also believe in limiting rent increases to an acceptable percentage, so that a lease renewal doesn’t result in a 20 percent increase for the renter. Moreover, developers and other for-profits must be required to give back to the community by supporting nonprofit agencies like Asheville Habitat that promote affordable housing.”
Solution: Support economic development
Other contributors to the dialogue pushed for attracting employers that pay higher wages.
“Aggressively recruit employers that can provide adequate wages,” offered Pilos. “The educational system,” he added, “is a major factor: The better-educated the population, the more attractive the community is to ‘good’ employers. Residents deserve economic and educational opportunities that enable them to earn enough money that they don’t need low-income housing.”
And Donna Cottrell of the county’s Planning and Development Department noted, “Continuing to incentivize local job opportunities for our community while supporting affordable and workforce housing initiatives can help address Buncombe County’s affordable housing problem.”
At the same time, Cindy Visnich Weeks, vice president and director of community investments at Mountain Housing Opportunities — the largest producer of affordable housing west of Charlotte — questioned the effectiveness of those incentives.
“Let’s take a hard look at the past five years and ask: How many jobs did we create?” urged Weeks. “What will each of these jobs pay? How much did we pay the corporations bringing the jobs, and therefore, how much was paid to subsidize each one? How many of those jobs won’t pay enough to allow the worker to afford a modest apartment or home? How many workforce homes did we create in that same five-year period? How much funding did we use to incentivize the construction of true workforce housing?”
In response, Paul Szurek, a board member and former chair of The Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County, commented: “All the jobs recruited by the Economic Development Coalition, and all those for which the city and county have provided incentives, pay substantially more than a living wage. These are basically high-productivity, advanced manufacturing jobs, with a lot of responsibility for machines and materials. In addition, the incentives are performance-based (i.e., no jobs, no capital investment, no incentive earned) and pay for themselves over time via additional tax base that would otherwise not be here.”
Solution: Make affordable development easier
Other essayists suggested ways to streamline development.
Merrell, for instance, wrote: “Incentivize affordable housing development and make it easy for developers to build it. Instead of creating complicated regulations, simplify them. … Waive all fees for affordable housing development; increase fees for market-rate development.”
And Pilos proposed these steps: “Modify zoning regulations to allow multifamily development in more locations. … Revamp the city’s housing incentives into packages that are meaningful to the multifamily industry. … Lower MSD’s impact fee. … Provide incentives to repurpose existing housing units.”
Solution: Think outside the box
Still others called for less mainstream solutions.
Boone Guyton, co-owner of Cady and Guyton Construction, noted: “One new free-market approach is ‘tiny houses,’ which can cost less than the down payment on the average home. A few Asheville companies are building them, though local building codes are problematic. A tiny house is a good fit for an owner /builder, as it’s a more manageable project for working people. I think a somewhat bigger version — a low-cost, 600-square-foot home that’s designed to be expandable — would be worth pursuing.”
Heath Moody of A-B Tech’s Construction Management, Building Science and Sustainability Technologies Department wrote: “One very promising approach is to partner with community colleges, high schools and four-year colleges on programs that are looking for hands-on projects for job-training purposes. … Such partnerships may not produce enough homes to meet all the needs, but they can cut labor costs while giving students real-world training.”
Meanwhile, Hatley of the Self-Help Credit Union cited housing cooperatives and a project in the Netherlands that pairs students with the elderly as possible models for Asheville.
And Golden described grassroots efforts in the Emma community, just outside Asheville, to create community land trusts and mobile home cooperatives: “My family lives in Dulce Lomita, a mobile home cooperative created to show residents how they can purchase parks that might otherwise be bought by developers, leading to permanent loss of affordable housing.”
The challenge, wrote Golden, is expanding those efforts to serve more people: “We need the support of local housing-and-development institutions, as well as local governments, to give us the resources and legislation needed to bring models such as these up to scale. Only then will we be able to ensure housing equity and self-determination for all our communities.”
Jeff Staudinger, Assistant Director, Community Economic Development, City of Asheville
Jeff Staudinger, the city of Asheville’s assistant director of community and economic development, described City Council’s efforts to address the affordable housing crisis but added this caveat: “Current financing and regulatory tools alone cannot produce enough new affordable housing to meet the need. To achieve that, we’ll need to support our existing housing partners, find new partners in both the public and private sectors, implement new policies and embrace new tools.”
Solution: Enlist the whole community
Amid a diverse array of possible approaches, affordable housing advocates stressed the importance of community involvement in solving the problem.
Greg Borom, Director of Advocacy for Children First/Communities in Schools of Buncombe County
Greg Borom, director of advocacy for Children First/Communities in Schools of Buncombe County, wrote: “Safe, affordable housing is a step toward opportunity and success but not the final destination. It’ll take accessory units, manufactured homes, cooperatives, land banks, increased density, small homes and apartments to address the lack of supply. But turning a physical structure into a home also requires access to schools, jobs, transit, parks, food and a community fabric that builds resiliency and interconnection.”
And Meath of Just Economics noted: “Basically, it’s going to take all hands on deck to change this dangerous trajectory of unaffordability and extreme gentrification. As an entire community, we need to be informed about the issues, be cognizant of the big picture, roll up our sleeves and get to work.”
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke followed Northwestern’s lead in building a competitive football program at an academically elite private school in a power conference.
Now the Blue Devils want to follow the Wildcats back into the Top 25.
No. 23 Northwestern (2-0) visits Duke (2-0) on Saturday in an intersectional matchup between unbeaten programs with similar profiles.
Their 17th meeting is unique — it’s only the second time one of them has been ranked at the time and first since the Wildcats, ranked 16th at the time, routed Duke 44-7 in 2001.
Coach Pat Fitzgerald doesn’t want his Wildcats caught up in their first appearance in the national rankings since early in the 2013 season. They earned that spot in the polls by knocking off another similar program — then-No. 21 Stanford — and know that keeping it requires them to beat another one.
“We’ve been working hard to really teach our guys how to eliminate distractions,” he said. “You win a couple of games, and people tell you you’re pretty good by ranking you. … The only ranking that matters is how you rank compared to your best self.”
The Blue Devils are on the cusp of earning a national ranking for the third straight season, continuing a rise back to relevance that got rolling two years ago when they won the ACC’s Coastal Division and continued last year when they were one victory shy of a repeat.
“If we can keep getting better, then we’ll have an opportunity to have one of those special years where you end up in the Top 25,” coach David Cutcliffe said.
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Some things to know about Northwestern’s first visit to Duke since 2008:
STRENGTH VS. STRENGTH: The Wildcats haven’t allowed any touchdowns so far. The Blue Devils have scored plenty of them, rolling up 37 and 55 points in their first two wins behind new starting quarterback Thomas Sirk. “It’s one of those things where they execute really well, we execute really well,” Duke tight end Braxton Deaver said. “Which playmakers are going to step up and make the plays? That’s going to be the difference.”
TWO TOUGH Ds: These programs have more in common than just their won-lost records and high academic standards. Both rank in the top five in scoring defense, with the No. 4 Wildcats allowing three points per game and the Blue Devils giving up 3.5. Duke has allowed its opponents to convert just 10.7 percent of their third downs, ranking second nationally — one spot ahead of Northwestern (11.5 percent).
THE SERIES: The teams have split their previous 16 meetings, though Northwestern has won six of the last seven. Duke’s win in that span was a big one — a 20-14 victory in Evanston, Illinois, in 2007 that snapped a 22-game losing streak and inspired some Duke students to break into Wallace Wade Stadium, tear down a goal post and parade it across campus.
SHUTOUT CHATTER: Both teams are coming off of shutouts of FCS teams, with Northwestern beating Eastern Illinois 41-0 and Duke blanking North Carolina Central 55-0. After the Wildcats’ win, defensive lineman Ifeadi Odenigbo told the Chicago Tribune that “we expect to have a shutout next week” — a comment that caught the attention of the Blue Devils.
DUKE VS. RANKED TEAMS: The Blue Devils are playing host to a ranked nonconference opponent for the first time since 2011, when then-No. 6 Stanford routed them 44-14. They haven’t beaten a ranked team from outside the ACC since beating the Cardinal in 1971.
Editor’s note: This article is part of a special section in the Sept. 18, 2015 Asheville Citizen-Times that will be placed in a time capsule at the base of Vance Monument to be opened 100 years from now.
Dear future,
We’ve been waiting patiently in the dust beneath the Vance Monument, buried beneath the decades as a billion tourists have trooped through Pack Square in the past century. We’ve waited a hundred years for a word with you.
You’ve been waiting as well, eager to pry open this memento from the past, wondering what was life like, what were people like in the Asheville of old, in the year 2015?
Here at Pack Square, we are at a crossroads, as you probably are a hundred years hence.
Centuries ago, drovers brought herds of goats, geese, turkeys and other stock right across this high point of town on the old Buncombe Turnpike. In our time, we have brought hordes of visitors to our downtown, eager to eat at our restaurants, shop our small businesses, quaff the craft beers that our Asheville has lately become famous for.
With the renaissance of downtown Asheville, its Art Deco architecture and its vibrant street life of buskers and busy sidewalks, we have been discovered by tourists from around the Southeast and the world. We are a small city that punches well above its weight class, only 88,000 strong in a county of 250,000 people, but we play host to 9 million visitors a year in Buncombe County
Down on the French Broad River, the New Belgium Brewery is set to open later this year on a former landfill and livestock market. We are looking forward to some $50 million of investment in the River Arts District, and the revival of a former industrial area, now full of empty, graffiti-strewn warehouses. Where auctioneers used to sell crops of burley tobacco, now artists are plying their creative wares and tourists keep coming.
But we are beginning to wonder if we are victims of our own success.
Cranes dot the city skyline this fall of 2015 with five new hotels rising around downtown. We collect a room tax on our visitors, but that money goes mainly to market the town to tourists, not to pay for the sidewalks and roads and parks that visitors enjoy along with locals.
We dwell on our “Pit of Despair,” a city-owned lot on Haywood Street, across from the U.S. Cellular Center, which once was a premier showroom for Cadillac automobiles. Plans for another hotel came to naught in this site, but many worry that some new high rise will still overshadow the twin towers and dome of the Basilica of St. Lawrence. Why not another park, rather than another hotel? City officials worry about the health of the city coffers. Hard to tax pigeons instead of hotel patrons.
We are debating whether residents should be able to rent out their homes on Airbnb, booked over the Internet. We like our property rights, but we also like our privacy and property values. We want to get to know our neighbors, not just a short-stay vacationer, some argue. We want visitors, but we don’t want them necessarily pushing out full-time residents.
Visiting Asheville is a delight. Living in Asheville is getting tougher for many.
In 2015, we are worried about the shortage of affordable housing. With so many people clamoring to live in such a beautiful place, even with a limited supply of houses and good jobs, many are paying a premium. Asheville still lags behind our lager sister cities in the state as far paychecks to feed growing families. We’re talking about a living wage, and how too few in the growing number of hospitality and retail jobs are making that $12.50 an hour without health insurance.
Each year, many of our best and brightest pull up stakes and head elsewhere for bigger paychecks and more opportunities.
The four-lane Interstate 240, cutting through Beaucatcher Mountain and the middle of town, comes to a standstill each afternoon. Too many cars trying to squeeze into crowded roads, commuters creeping home over the bottleneck of the Jeff Bowen Bridge. We have been talking for years about untangling our infrastructure, but a new Interstate 26 connector is still likely a decade away.
We live in richest country in the world but one of four children in our county can’t count on where their next meal is coming from. More than half of all Buncombe County schoolchildren are getting free or reduced-price school lunches.
Are children still going hungry in a hundred years? Are workers still scraping by from paycheck to paycheck, unable to afford a home of their own?
We wrestle with these worries, fill the Asheville Citizen-Times with concerned letters and debate. A printed newspaper may seem quaint to you, but the news probably hasn’t changed, even if you get it differently, electronically, perhaps telepathically.
You may shake your head at our decisions, you may think we were foolish in many ways, or wiser back in our time. But after all, you are not much different than us. We are your great-grandparents and ancestors. You are living in the houses we had, traveling these same roads.
That probably doesn’t help the challenges you face. Traffic. Jobs. Tourism. How to govern yourselves wisely. How to provide for the less fortunate. How to raise your children and grandchildren. How to preserve the goodness of these mountains that hold you as tightly as they cradled us in 2015.
And if you are standing here on Pack Square, we’ve been there before you.
Look to the southeast; Mount Pisgah still looms on the horizon. You, like us, are still blessed to be here in these oldest mountains on the planet. Perhaps you walk your dogs as we do along the French Broad River, one of the oldest rivers on Earth, even older than the green mountains that surround you. Natives know the pull of these hills. Many more have come and keep coming, seemingly called to make their home in Asheville.
You may have heard of a writer native to these parts named Thomas Wolfe, though likely not many of you have read him. He grew up in town and left to find literary fame, but he always felt the call of Asheville. In his last book, “You Can’t Go Home Again,” published after his early death, Wolfe wrote:
“But why had he always felt so strongly the magnetic pull of home, why had he thought so much about it and remembered it with such blazing accuracy, if it did not matter, and if this little town, and the immortal hills around it, was not the only home he had on earth? He did not know. All that he knew was that the years flow by like water, and that one day men come home again.”
So dear future, if we have any words for you, here they are: Home is not a given. You have to make that place for your family, for your neighbors, for the generations to follow.
Don’t be afraid of your time.
Work together.
It’s the only thing that’s always worked for Asheville.
Sincerely,
Asheville, 2015
CITIZEN TIMES
Questions from the future? Answer Man takes a shot
DAVIDSON, N.C. (AP) — Stephen Curry isn’t one to forget his roots.
The NBA’s Most Valuable Player returned to his alma mater Davidson College on Thursday to show off the Larry O’Brien NBA championship trophy with the small school’s close-knit community.
Curry worked out with Davidson players, participated in a question-and-answer period with college students and banked in a 25-foot jumper in the first shot ever attempted at the school’s new practice facility, which is set to open in the coming weeks. He signed numerous autographs for students and even ate some chicken curry in the school cafeteria.
“This is where the whole story started and I know how much the Davidson alumni and community supports me, so this is very special,” Curry told The Associated Press.
Longtime Davidson men’s basketball coach Bob McKillop said Curry, who led the underdog Wildcats to the Final Eight in 2008, never ceases to amaze him with his humility.
McKillop said Curry told him he wanted to return to campus to celebrate this past season’s success with the student body.
“For him to come back and say, ‘I want you to be a part of this, because you are a part of this,’ to me that is just outstanding,” Mckillop said. “He makes everyone so proud that he’s a Davidson guy.”
Davidson athletic director Jim Murphy said the event was impromptu and that Curry wanted to keep it quiet and mostly within the community.
The event wasn’t made public to the media.
But word began leaking out on Thursday that the Golden State Warriors star was back in town and the campus started to come alive. Several hundred students crowded in the school’s athletic center on campus to hear Curry speak about his time at Davidson and life in the NBA.
“The welcome he got when he walked on stage, that is something that every one of these students is going to remember for the rest of their academic career,” Murphy said. “We are so proud of Steph. We watch from a distance on TV, but to see him in person talk so eloquently about his experience at Davidson — he’s a special guy.”
Speaking on stage, Curry thanked everyone in the Davidson community he could think of from McKillop to the administration to the grounds crew that keeps the campus looking sharp.
“I’m going to try to represent you guys the best that I can from here on out,” Curry said.
Curry, who grew up in Charlotte, is making the rounds this weekend in hometown. He also plans to bring the trophy by his former high school on Friday.
A big Carolina Panthers fan, Curry will be hitting the “Keep Pounding” drum before the team’s home opener Sunday against the Houston Texans in Charlotte — a tradition that honors former Panthers linebacker and assistant coach Sam Mills, who died of cancer.
“Man, I’m looking forward to being down there on the field,” said Curry, who owns his own No. 30 Panthers jersey. “Never done it before, so that will be cool.”
Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Curry has been in the team’s locker room before and previously attended training camp in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
“It’s going to be cool because he’s a huge Panthers fan and the city just loves him,” Rivera said.
The homecoming comes one day after Curry signed a contract extension with Under Armour that will run through the 2024 season. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
CULLOWHEE – Where other destinations see ups and downs in tourism growth, a new study from Western Carolina University has found an anomaly taking place in 21 North Carolina mountain counties.
The tourists just keep coming.
“If you look at places like Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Panama City Beach in Florida, they have peaks and valleys around their tourism growth,” said Steve Morse, economist and director of the Hospitality and Tourism program at WCU’s College of Business. “What we are seeing here is continually growing tourism, which is very unusual.”
This October, that growth is expected to continue.
For the third year in a row, students in Morse’s senior-level “Tourism Strategies” class are predicting a noticeable increase in hotel occupancy rates for the 21 gateway counties that border the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
To make their prediction, students analyzed data supplied by Smith Travel Research, a leading source of information for the hospitality industry, and considered the impact falling gasoline prices, an increase in festivals and events, new marketing materials and fall color forecasts could have on Western North Carolina.
Morse said while tourists may come to Western North Carolina to see the leaves, many will choose to stay and then come back because of other activities in the region.
“Approximately 7 out of 10 tourists are repeat tourists. That is telling me that 7 out of 10 tourists are getting and seeing value for their dollar, getting a good experience and like what they get enough to want to come back for it again,” Morse said. “During these economic times, people are looking for value-friendly destinations.”
Part of that added value happens when tourists fuel up for their destinations.
According to the U.S. Energy Administration, gas prices in the Southeast are expected to be about 22 percent lower now than they were this time last year.
“That’s important because we are a drive-to destination,” Morse said. “The lower gas prices in 2015 means that the average family has an additional $1,100 to spend in disposable income that they are not spending on gas.”
Those lower gas prices might help extend the tourism season in McDowell County.
“We’ve seen an increase in our Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Raleigh visits. Even though they are closer, I think more people are coming up and will be staying with us a little bit longer with those gas prices,” said Carol Price, executive director of the McDowell County Tourism Development Authority. “We’re a good starting point for people. We’re the gateway into the Blue Ridge.”
Last year, 13.9 million people visited the Blue Ridge Parkway and an estimated 10.1 million people visited the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, according to figures reported by the National Park Service.
That connection to the Blue Ridge Parkway is something Price said McDowell County has been putting a greater emphasis on in its marketing materials this year, and even in its own personal brand.
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Earlier this year, the McDowell County Tourism Development Authority decided to adopt a new logo and signage that prominently uses the phrase “Blue Ridge Traveler.”
“By being at a lower elevation, in parts of the county, it helps us in terms of having a range of activity with outdoor recreations pretty much available year-round. We’re trying to focus particularly on the outdoors. We have wonderful waterfalls, hiking trails and a lot of other outdoor things,” Price said.
The WCU study predicts McDowell, Burke, Madison, Mitchell and Yancey counties will see a 5 percent increase in tourism in large part due to both its proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the declining cost of gas.
For Buncombe and Henderson counties, the WCU study forecasts tourism growth to be 4.2 percent this October. Morse said even though 4.2 percent growth is not the largest growth predicted in the study, it’s nothing to ignore.
“A 4.2 percent increase for this October over last year is a very significant uptick for an already-strong tourism market in the Buncombe and Henderson areas,” Morse said. “They have launched new destination advertising and promotions programs and have extended their media reach into new feeder cities, with an increase in festivals and events around the growing craft beer industry.”
Cat Kessler, the online content manager for the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau, said Asheville has TV spots in nine markets: Atlanta, Raleigh, Durham, the Triangle, the Triad, Charlotte, Charleston, South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, Nashville, Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee and Cincinnati, Ohio.
Kessler said the fall leaf season is something the entire region can capitalize on this October.
“Fall color is not a flash in the pan event. It’s not going to peak in mid-October and then be done. It’s very much a full season because of the biology of our trees and the range in elevation. That’s central to our message. There’s always color to see somewhere,” Kessler said, noting it’s why the Asheville CVB works with experts to create a weekly fall color report.
Further west, the tourism market is expected to get even bigger this October.
The WCU study points to the opening of Harrah’s Cherokee River Valley Casino in Murphy along with increased entertainment options this fall at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort as key drivers.
“Over the last 18 months, tourism has been extremely strong,” said Jason Lambert, director of commerce for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. “Locally in Cherokee, both our gaming and nongaming numbers are extremely strong. Last year was one of the strongest we’ve had in the past 15.”
For the first time, Cherokee will be expanding its TV broadcast and radio advertising, and the creative isn’t focused on the reservation or Harrah’s. Instead, Lambert said, it’s a nod to what makes Western North Carolina such a special place to visit.
“It focuses specifically on that fall color season. It’s something new that we haven’t really done before,” Lambert said. “But I think that these efforts are important because I think we will continue to see tourism as a key driver of our economy and our region’s economy. It brings in outside dollars that we can then turn into services for our community.”
In the tourism study, the WCU students divided 21 WNC counties into five groups, examined the total number of hotel rooms sold and the overall occupancy rates for October 2014; compared weekday and weekend occupancy rates from last October; and determined the average change in the number of hotel nights sold for October during the previous three years.
The students’ predictions for North Carolina regions:
• Region 1 – Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Macon counties: A 5.2 percent increase in October 2015 tourism compared to last October.
• Region 2 – Haywood, Jackson, Transylvania and Swain counties: A 4.4 percent increase in October 2015 tourism compared to last October.
• Region 3 – Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Watauga and Wilkes counties: A 5 percent increase in October 2015 tourism compared to last October.
• Region 4 – Burke, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell and Yancey counties: A 5 percent increase in October 2015 tourism compared to last October.
• Region 5 – Buncombe and Henderson counties: A 4.2 percent increase in October 2015 tourism compared to last October.
For the first time, the students also made predictions for the three Tennessee counties:
Sevier County: A 4.2 increase in October 2015 tourism compared to last October.
Blount and Monroe counties: A 4.1 increase in October 2015 tourism compared to last October.
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