Asheville residents, city council hash out what comes next for hotel moratorium

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — The debate over new hotels in Asheville continued at Tuesday night’s city council meeting. Council held a public hearing on changes being proposed to the city’s hotel ordinance.

“One of the questions that continues to be posed by the community is why do we have to have one more hotel, why can’t we just ban hotels,” Asheville mayor Esther Manheimer said.

The city’s year and a half long moratorium on new hotels ends later this month.

“We do know that statutes in North Carolina require us to bring an end to the moratorium at some point,” city attorney Brad Branham said.

PROTESTERS TAKE TO ASHEVILLE STREETS TO MAKE THEIR ANTI-HOTEL MESSAGE HEARD

City council is tasked with figuring out what comes next.

Council members are considering a revised hotel overlay map showing where new hotels can be. They’re also considering a new public benefits requirement to motivate hotels to do things like pay a living wage or work with women minority owned businesses.

If hotels don’t meet the map and public benefits requirements, then, instead of being approved by a design committee, they would have to be approved by city council.

ASHEVILLE RESIDENTS WEIGH IN ON UPCOMING VOTE TO END CITY'S HOTEL MORATORIUM

Most of the public comments during the public hearing said none of that is enough.

“We don’t really need more hotels, period. And I would prefer that you guys did it the old way, where all of the hotels have to go through passing inspection, have to go through you guys first,” Victoria Estes said.

One comment did offer some praise.

“The city council has finally come to a point that I’m so happy to see, that where you’re putting some of this cost on developers on a very proactive end,” Dee Williams said.

Council member Sheneika Smith criticized the proposed hotel overlay map. As it stands, hotels would be allowed on some urban renewal property.

“Remove these areas from the hotel overlay for future use, use that can maybe be utilized by the reparations commission,” Smith said.

HOTEL CONSTRUCTION TO RESUME IN ASHEVILLE, BUT GETTING CITY OK WILL LIKELY BE TOUGHER

Several council members also criticized the public benefits requirement, suggesting new hotels should have to do more.

Council member Gwen Wisler said she understands the suggestion, but is concerned with what that might mean.

“What that’s going to suggest is that new hotels are going to be very high end,” she said, adding that hotels would have to spend more to produce more public benefits.

City council will vote on the proposed changes at its Feb. 23 meeting, the same day the hotel moratorium is set to expire.