flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Asheville, N.C. rezoning favors pedestrians, could change city’s character

Codes and Standards

Asheville, N.C. rezoning favors pedestrians, could change city’s character

Focus is on layout and look of new buildings rather than use.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | November 30, 2017
Biltmore Estates in Ashville
Biltmore Estates in Ashville

The Ashville, N.C. City Council recently enacted zoning changes in a vibrant area of the community to make the area more pedestrian-friendly.

Zoning in the city’s River Arts District will be form-based, focusing on the layout and look of new buildings, not how they are used. New buildings will be required to be closer to sidewalks and tailored more toward pedestrians than cars. The new plan also allows for higher rise structures that would increase the city’s density.

The new form-based code came after two years of community input. City lawmakers also enacted a restriction on short-term housing rentals. Rentals of less than 30 days are banned in residential zones that cover most of the city with violators subject to $500 fines

The latter action is meant to help curb an affordable housing shortage in the area. Homeowners will be allowed to ask for waivers to the ban, however.

Related Stories

Legislation | Mar 28, 2022

LEED Platinum office tower faces millions in fines due to New York’s Local Law 97

One Bryant Park, also known as the Bank of America Tower, in Manhattan faces an estimated $2.4 million in annual fines when New York City’s York’s Local Law 97 goes into effect.

Codes and Standards | Mar 24, 2022

New York senate moves to speed up fossil fuel ban in new buildings

Lawmakers in the New York State Senate are backing a proposal to ban fossil fuels in new building construction three years sooner than a plan proposed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.  

Codes and Standards | Mar 23, 2022

High office vacancies have cities rethinking downtown zoning

As record-high office vacancies persist in U.S. urban areas, cities are rethinking zoning policy.

Codes and Standards | Mar 22, 2022

Dept. of Energy awards $32 million for next-generation building retrofits

The U.S. Dept. of Energy has awarded a total of $32 million for more than 30 next-generation building retrofit projects that will dramatically improve affordable housing technologies, according to a DOE news release.

Legislation | Mar 18, 2022

New framework to help site community solar projects released

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) released a new report to aid policymakers in siting community solar projects.

Codes and Standards | Mar 17, 2022

Dept. of Energy seeks input on building-integrated photovoltaic systems

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and Building Technologies Office (BTO) recently issued a request for information to gather input on technical and commercial challenges and opportunities for building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems.

Legislation | Mar 16, 2022

Weak federal commercial real estate rules will hamper seizing Russian assets

Lax disclosure regulations that have made the U.S. a global hot spot for money laundering via real estate holdings will make it difficult for officials to seize properties from Russian oligarchs.

Codes and Standards | Mar 15, 2022

First company awarded Fitwel Certification in Senior Housing for Occupant Health & Wellness

The Springs at Greer Gardens in Eugene, Ore., is the first property to earn a Fitwel global health certification under the newly created senior housing scorecard.

Codes and Standards | Mar 10, 2022

HOK offers guidance for reducing operational and embodied carbon in labs

Global design firm HOK has released research providing lab owners and developers guidance for reducing operational and embodied carbon to meet net zero goals.

Codes and Standards | Mar 7, 2022

Late payments in the construction industry rose in 2021

Last year was a tough one for contractors when it comes to getting paid on time.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021