The site of the former Asheville Primary School may be home to a new regional Emergency Management Services station and a new West Asheville Library. Last night, Buncombe County commissioners moved forward on plans for how the property at 441 Haywood Road in West Asheville could be used for public services.
Robert Brown with the County's General Services Department presented the proposal which includes a new 16,800-square foot regional EMS station and a new 25,000-square foot library on the site of the school, which closed in 2022.
Commissioner Amanda Edwards described the need for a new EMS center, including ambulance services, as “non-negotiable.”
“We absolutely cannot let our foot off the gas pedal,” she said, noting the EMS response times at present.
Commissioner Terri Wells agreed, calling it a “critical need.” ADW Architects met with local leaders and conducted a preliminary review of zoning and code requirements.
The plans took a lot of wrangling by ADW, according to Brown, who said the firm had to “herd the cats and collect the chickens.”
Commissioners also reviewed a proposal that would add a 29,000-square foot freestanding pre-K facility next to the existing Hall Fletcher Elementary School building, less than a mile from the old Asheville Primary School site. The proposed 18-classroom pre-K space on Ridgelawn Road would serve about 270 students.
Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara said the county needs to step up its pre-K funding.
“There’s nothing at this point to indicate that we will see the kind of federal or state action in the near term that would release tens of millions of dollars to a community like Buncombe County to move forward with these initiatives,” she said.
Commissioner Al Whitesides agreed. “Maybe we can wake up Raleigh and DC to get some money to help us get it off the ground,” he said.
Chair Brownie Newman asked about the possibility of converting an existing building to a pre-K hub instead of a constructing a new one.
Retrofitting an existing space for pre-K comes with “a lot of code implications,” Brown said. For young children, a facility would need to be a single-story with a contiguous play area, he explained.
The proposal for the three facilities comes with a hefty price tag. Brown warned, “Here comes the shocker,” before introducing the cost estimates for each project.
The EMS station would cost about $11 million while the library and pre-K hub come in at $19 million and $20.4 million, respectively. The price tag doesn’t include operating costs.
Newman said the estimated total $50 million funding for construction might come from a debt instrument, possibly a bond. On Tuesday, commissioners unanimously voted to authorize county staff to take next steps in the due diligence process. No vote on funding was held.
Before construction and budgeting, the Asheville City School Board would need to approve the concept, as the district owns the property. Asheville City Schools obtained the property in 1959 as part of a sale by the Buncombe County Board of Education, according to deed records.
Under state law, the county board has the right of first refusal to purchase the property, but it was unclear what the school board might expect in terms of a purchase price.
Assistant County Manager Tim Love said the city schools would be expecting some compensation for the project.
Whitesides objected to the idea that the county might have to pay the school board since it owned the property originally.
“Everything we are doing is for the taxpayers of Buncombe County, right?” he said. “We paid for it. They want to sell it to us? That makes no sense to me, as a taxpayer. I’ve got a problem with that.”
The possible consolidation of Asheville City and Buncombe County school systems further muddied the conversation. Earlier this year, state lawmakers passed a measure requiring a feasibility study for the potential merger of the two entities.
“Do we need to be having this conversation right now?” Edwards said, calling the consolidation study, “the elephant in the room.” The consultant hired to conduct the study is expected to submit its final report by the end of the year.
Short-term rentals back in focus
When the county issued a call for volunteers to advise commissioners on short-term rental regulations, the community responded. More than 100 people applied to serve on the Short-Term Rental Ad Hoc Committee, a temporary body commissioners officially established last night to examine possible regulations around rentals like AirBNB and VRBO.
In April – after much debate – the Buncombe County Planning Board voted to postpone action on proposed short-term rental regulations. The new committee will offer recommendations to the planning board this fall.
Last night, Chairman Newman moved to hold interviews with 15 applicants on Aug. 20. The committee will also include two members of the planning board who applied: Chair Nancy Waldrop and member Ken Kahn.
From public comment
- Buncombe County School Superintendent Rob Jackson offered a message of gratitude to members for the millions of dollars in school funding over the last four years.
Other tidbits
- Commissioners approved up to $626,177 of federal ARPA funding to be paid to Eagle Solar and Light, a contractor that will install 10 rooftop solar energy systems on Buncombe County Fire Department buildings. The projects are expected to save thousands in electricity costs over the next 30 years.
- The U.S. Forest Service’s GAP (Grandfather, Appalachian, & Pisgah) Restoration project – designed to limit wildfire risk – includes plans for restoration activities such as vegetation treatment and annual controlled burns of 10,000 to 18,000 acres. The Service is accepting public comments on the project through Monday, Aug. 12.
- A new, five-member Bond Oversight Committee will review the county’s Open Space bond and Affordable Housing bond spending for legal and financial compliance. Want to dig in on the details? The group launched a transparency dashboard available here.
- The newly formed Asheville/Buncombe Continuum of Care (CoC) Board is up and running with two committees: The Funding Committee is doing due diligence on a proposal by Friendship for Affordable Housing proposal to convert the former Ramada Inn into permanent supportive housing. The measure comes after a failure by the last developer to get the work done. The group will present its findings to the CoC board, which will then present to city council later in September. The committee is also reviewing funding applications for Emergency Solutions Grants of about $120,000 and HUD funding of about $2 million. The Shelter Planning Committee is working on plans for an ARPA-funded low-barrier shelter. It will report to the CoC board on Aug. 15, and commissioners will get a recommendation from the board in early September.
- The taxman cometh. The board approved Buncombe County’s annual tax settlement of $240 million, leaving about half a million dollars uncollected. The board adopted order of collections for the next round. Commissioners also approved a public hearing for Aug. 20 for community members to share feedback on the proposed property rates and process for 2025.
- Erwin Middle School will spend $750,000 more on already-approved renovations to make the facility ADA compliant with indoor and outdoor ramps, new restroom facilities, and classroom renovations. The original cost was $2.7 million.
- The board went into closed session to consider a proposed settlement of a lawsuit.
Every first and third Tuesday, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meets at 200 College St., Room 326, in downtown Asheville beginning at 5 p.m. See the full recording and agenda of the Aug. 6 meeting.
