The gang at Black Dog Realty went home tonight without the go ahead to proceed with construction of the proposed 175,000 square foot Parkside Condominiums. The motion to accept the plans as presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission failed with a 3 to 3 vote after a four-hour meeting.The high-rise private development would have encroached 40 feet on to city parkland, obscured the view of the mountains, crowded Asheville's "iconic" government buildings, demolished the historic Hayes & Hobson building, turned its back on the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist church and the Black community in the Eagle Market Street area, and torn the ancient and much revered Magnolia trees limb from limb.
The power-point project overview and commentary by the architect Mark Fishero, the developers' attorney Lou Bissette, and city planning coordinator Alan Glines, was a study in euphemism. The men talked of a project with "articulated architectural statement," and of "protecting view sheds," of "activating urban spaces," installing "street trees," and providing a "portal experience," while putting "eyes on the park," and "respecting its neighbors."
Asheville resident Willie Mae Brown saw it differently: "The impact on our church is going to be tremendous. Why were we not considered?" Mount Zion pastor Dr. John H. Grant said the church was "conspicuously invisible and conspicuously absent from the discussion, though we have been in the community for 127 years." He had some land to sell to the developers as an alternative site and suggested it "might be worthy of discussion to get us out of this impasse."
Attorney Bissette, referring to the magnificent magnolia glibly stated: "Yes. It will have to be cut." The developers proposed to compensate the loss by taking as many as 200 cuttings from the live tree to generate "Daughters of the Tree!"
"What we're about to show you does not meet the letter of design guidelines," the presentation began, as they talked of the "trade-off" the city planners offered for a smaller building footprint.
Former Mayor Leni Sitnik told the committee, "This development is wrong." She called it "an "insult to the gift giver," that land donated to the city as a public trust was sold to a private developer. Echoing the sentiment expressed by others she said, "Its a nice building. Wrong place."
WPVM radio host and activist Barry Summers told the committee, "this is not the way a downtown treasure is to be developed," and characterized the contested sale of city parkland as the "saddest and most shameful event in the history of the city."
Opponents to the development were diverse and their concerns about the development varied. Asheville activist Bill Branyon asked developer Stewart Coleman "Do you need the profit from this building to pay your mortgage?" He told the committee: "We need to be discussing a moratorium on development."
The Pack Place Conservancy Board took up three rows in the crowded auditorium. They had very recently learned that their former Attorney Bissette now represented Parkside. Speaking for the board, Carol King said they opposed the project, "This has not been subjected to any review," she said, and called for a smaller building with less overall mass, reduced height and more setback from the park.
A woman speaking on behalf of the Hayes & Hobson building said it would be "environmentally, socially and economically irresponsible" to tear down the historic building. A downtown business man who said he often walked in the remnant park opposed the development's encroachment into the park, "You can't put a price on the human spirit," he said.
Steve Rasmussen of Coven Oldenwilde, a group that has long stood with the Magnolia tree and against the proposed the Parkside development summed it up well: "You can put all the lipstick you want on an elephant, but its still an elephant."
Only two or three people spoke in favor of the project. One, a dead-ringer for Dick Cheney, told the committee: "This project fits the bill. It is the highest and best use of this land."
photo by: Jim Brown: "Magnificent Magnolias embrace in City County Plaza after stay of execution."
5 comments:
Yeah! So glad to see that we humans are coming around, coming together, and taking a stand for something other than profit, short term gain for a few, and recognizing the rights of other species to live, thrive, and remain. Hurrahyah!!!
Grand post, mariahsage. You captured the feel of the evening perfectly.
Some pictures:
http://snipr.com/23bpe
Your final quote addresses the core of the problem we face as a community. Those who hold most of the power continue to adhere to a failed economic theory. "Highest and best use" in their jargon is only measured in dollars.
But modern economic theory has grown past that stupidity. People don't just want money and things and power, they want beauty and love and community. Economists at the forefront of their discipline are beginning to include what were previously cast as intangibles in their thinking.
The old model also permits externalization of costs. A tree has little value until it is cut and milled and turned into a building -- there's no accounting for the tree as a carbon sink, an air filter, a part of the water cycle or for providing shade for bluegrass musicians (in the case of the magnolia). But that's insane. As one modern economist quipped, "The reason the invisible hand is invisible is because it doesn't exist."
As long as we continue to embrace the old economic growth myth we permit "highest and best" dollar arguments to trump wisdom. We need to shake off the delusion.
Also, note that it is "Hayes & Hopson."
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