Critics say proposed hotel would block views of 99-year-old bas...

Basically what we are dealing with is a town that is full of people that expect everything but give nothing. There idea of giving back is sitting around a drum circle or as the one guy in the article said "providing interactive art." I'm all for the arts but at the same time people need to have an understanding of what a downtown is. The same people protesting this are the ones that protest The Cliffs and Reynolds mountain. If you don't build in downtown then you must want things to be built in the valleys and hills surrounding it. You can't have stagnate growth. A thriving city will grow, a collapsing city will not. I propose this question, how many of the vagrants, homeless and hippies are actually paying taxes to the city? They don't own anything (houses etc.), they hardly work and if they do in is typically under the table, etc. So I ask, why do the feel they are even entitled to an opinion?
One other point, in the article, Adam Pittman states "he feels safe walking downtown." does he not get harassed by the vagrants constantly like I do? Everytime I'm in Asheville I feel like I constantly have to check my wallet. I have a small daughter and when she is old enough to go out alone, I will have a hard time with here going downtown. Asheville is not a small town, nor is it a safe town. What needs to happen is that we need to start treating it as what it is, a growing city that needs a higher class of citizens.

Biltmore Park Snob wrote:

<quoted text>
Hey, I heard the new really hot place to live is Bluefield, WV! Why don't you and all of your tree hugging, walmart stopping, road non-building, progessive types go check it out! Nothing ever happens there, no progress, no new buildings, no economy, no jobs, no future, so you not be threatened by anything like progress.

I went through there about 40 years ago and hope to helk I never see it again. Why are you jumping on Lake?

I propose this question, how many of the vagrants, homeless and hippies are actually paying taxes to the city? They don't own anything (houses etc.), they hardly work and if they do in is typically under the table, etc.

This hippie owns several homes and pays a lot of taxes .. this hippie gives back till it hurts? Do you? Protesting is part of our history ... isn't that what you are doing?

Peace,

Douglas Ewen wrote:

I propose this question, how many of the vagrants, homeless and hippies are actually paying taxes to the city? They don't own anything (houses etc.), they hardly work and if they do in is typically under the table, etc.
This hippie owns several homes and pays a lot of taxes .. this hippie gives back till it hurts? Do you? Protesting is part of our history ... isn't that what you are doing?
Peace,

If you have bought into the capitolist system to the point that you own several homes. Be they for rental use, or simply because you are wealthy enough to own multiple homes. Can you really in all honesty still call yourself a hippie?

Theres no shame in it. I know alot of men and women from my parents generation that were hard core hippies. It was all free love, good drugs, and down with the establishment.

Now a couple of them are very successful lawyers. A couple own successful businesses right here in Asheville. You would know them if I named them, they are big. One woman is a PR exec. All of them are very wealthy and have bought into society, not sold out to it.

Douglas,

Not only do I pay back taxes through real estate I also own several business that give back as well. My beef is not with those that do give back but with those that don't. I applaud you for your heavy investment in the community and else were. So too often is the issue construed to be local vs. implant, hippie vs. yuppie etc. My issue is less directed at a mind set/life style and more toward the doers vs. the takers.( I should not simplify my statements with the use of Hippie etc)

You do have to admit though that there are alot of people in this city that do take and not give back but are the first to protest the building of anything new.

What do you say to the questions I pose about development in the city vs. out of the city? Is that not hypocritical?

Who cares?

Let's just stop building all together and see where we end up.

Yes, I am a hippie and proud of it.
Started with protesting the Vietnam war and still protesting every chance I get.
I have nothing to be ashamed of.
Come to the drum circle tonight and party with us old hippies!!!

Peace,

And yes protesting is part of our history but the difference here is that it is self serving to a small minority that I question there right to have an opinion in relation to this debate.

Protesting for the sack of protesting is not a right, protesting for the greater good is.

This is about the loss of parking lot, not the loss of a historic building. Last time I was there the only building on that site was the parking attendants shack. Protest over a poor uses parking lot? Give me a break.

Biltmore Park Snob wrote:

<quoted text>
Hey, I heard the new really hot place to live is Bluefield, WV! Why don't you and all of your tree hugging, walmart stopping, road non-building, progessive types go check it out! Nothing ever happens there, no progress, no new buildings, no economy, no jobs, no future, so you not be threatened by anything like progress.

No thanks. I like it here. But that doesn't mean I think the Bohemian hotel is going to be an attractive addition crammed into Biltmore. It MIGHT have been attractive but it's just too crammed in there. BTW who cares where you live? Your row houses don't impress me much either.

So tired of this wrote:

And yes protesting is part of our history but the difference here is that it is self serving to a small minority that I question there right to have an opinion in relation to this debate.
Protesting for the sack of protesting is not a right, protesting for the greater good is.

That is your opinion and I have my own.
I am not against building downtown ... I live downtown and am thrilled about most of the new developments. We do need more green space though and this piece of property should become a green space. We at the Sawyer Motor Building forced the Ravenscroft developers to scale back their plans which included removing trees we cherish behind our building ... see protesting works ... we stopped the Vietnam war!!!

Peace,

So tired of this wrote:

Douglas,
Not only do I pay back taxes through real estate I also own several business that give back as well. My beef is not with those that do give back but with those that don't. I applaud you for your heavy investment in the community and else were. So too often is the issue construed to be local vs. implant, hippie vs. yuppie etc. My issue is less directed at a mind set/life style and more toward the doers vs. the takers.( I should not simplify my statements with the use of Hippie etc)
You do have to admit though that there are alot of people in this city that do take and not give back but are the first to protest the building of anything new.
What do you say to the questions I pose about development in the city vs. out of the city? Is that not hypocritical?

Not for them. They want greenspace that is paid for by the taxpayers so they can sit around and party and have their drum circles.

Until the current green space can be patrolled and safe then I think that it is less of a priority that advancing the economy of downtown. Also, does the new green space in pack square not constitute enough green space? It's a huge park with plenty of green to go around? This again comes back to one of my earlier questions, would you rather develope downtown or the mountains, rivers and streams of north asheville and the surroundings?

Why can't they get together and buy some land way out somewhere and have their drum circles instead of expecting the taxpayers, that do not give a hoot about drum circles provide them with a place?

What a stupid headline ..... I think the CT is trying to stir the pot by saying the protesters and developers "clashed", what clash?

The land in question is owned by the City.

Whatever happened to truth in journalism....

all of ya'll who WANT or DONT CARE about the construction of the hotel either do not have an appreciation of the historic aspect of asheville, or you havent grown up here, or your just a bunch of implants, azz implants that is. you say, "build it and it will come", well build it somewhere else. why do hotels have to be built downtown? asheville is on its way in becoming overrun with greed. i like progress, but for the sake of historical sites? And do you think YOU or your FAMILY will be able to afford a $2-3 hundred dollar room? and what happens years from now when the hotel gets old and turns into a days inn or the old interstate hotel, full of hookers and drugs?

Guess i better get my camera out and take some pics of the "old town" of asheville before it gets too progressive and all these new, big building start to dwarf what actually is asheville.

what we need is a high rise mult-many floor parking deck,hard concrete and rebar and built so strong it will be there forever. we don't need another park for the social welfare programs/non-profits to feed, clothe, potty train them, panhandlers, prostitutes(only thing left made in america). all these other cities giving people 1 way bus tickets to get them out of their cities and let asheville take care of them. $170K for a study would get us alot of police officers to get rid of asheville's thugs. but again, sidewalk, traffic calming, you name it, while our water system suffers and our rates continue to go up. remember the elections and how your money is being used. if you don't vote, then it's' on you.

'save the Basilica' OK, but no one is trying to tear it down... a new hotel cannot hurt tourism at all...why dont they tear down that nasty Days Inn and put something nice there?

BRIGGS wrote:

all of ya'll who WANT or DONT CARE about the construction of the hotel either do not have an appreciation of the historic aspect of asheville, or you havent grown up here, or your just a bunch of implants, azz implants that is. you say, "build it and it will come", well build it somewhere else. why do hotels have to be built downtown? asheville is on its way in becoming overrun with greed. i like progress, but for the sake of historical sites? And do you think YOU or your FAMILY will be able to afford a $2-3 hundred dollar room? and what happens years from now when the hotel gets old and turns into a days inn or the old interstate hotel, full of hookers and drugs?
Guess i better get my camera out and take some pics of the "old town" of asheville before it gets too progressive and all these new, big building start to dwarf what actually is asheville.

I am from the area and have spent my entire life here. I have built my business based from here and I still think your idea of leave everything as was is ridiculous. Can you name any city that did not attract growth and new construction that is still a health city still today? What is it about growth and expansion that scares you? Look, as I said I'm from here but I get tired of the same people complaining about growth and expansion but then turn around and complain about jobs and industry.

Things can not stay the same as they were or you get lost in the past. No one is tearing down anything historical, they are taking an ugly parking lot and making it something that invests back into the community via jobs, taxes, etc.

HOW IS BUILDING ACROSS FROM A CHURCH DESTROYING THE HISTRY OF IT?

If that is the case than the argument against walmart and staples makes since. So if you or I want to build a new home we would have to find a lot that already has a home on it and as long as it didn't have any historical relevance we could tear it down and rebuild? These arguments are so weak it's ridiculous.

And of course you would have to make this an implant vs local argument. Where does that really get us? Well I am sure the Cherokee will appreciate you turning over your keys and going back home to where you came from. Oh, wait that doesn't count. Sorry.

Ghost Dog wrote:

<quoted text>
Well how enviromental damage have you done moving to our area hippie. You car, house, sewer. Thank for polluting the area.

Tell me again how this is productive? This is the most insightful post today?

These are the comments of a simple man. If you have nothing constructive to add then please stick with surfing the porn. It is obvious that Douglas does care and is productive in his thoughts. Don't attack someone for just because there opinion is different than yours. Debate is fine. Attacking is a waste of time.