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Hotel protest planned for Saturday at St. Lawrence

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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PARC, a politically liberal downtown Asheville PAC, plans a protest of the sale of public land to the McKibbon Hotel Group to build a hotel across from the basilica. The protest is this Saturday at 11 a.m.

From a PARC email:

Let’s get it together! Let’s stage a picket at St. Lawrence Basilica to protest the possible sale of the land near it to a hotel group! Let’s show that CONCERNED CITIZENS will not sit back and let over-ambitious, money-making American business heads swallow up one of the most beautiful areas of downtown Asheville.

TIME: Saturday, June 9, 11 a.m.

YOU KNOW THE PLACE: the bell-tolling, roses-wrapped, beautiful, historic, 100 year old church across from the Civic Center.

Be pro-active folks: Let’s not watch another big enterprise obscure another piece of history and beauty!

This is grassroots–bring your own signs! For more information contact Maria Mason at [email protected].

The “battle for the Basilica” is now at least three years old. From a 2009 Ashvegas post: Basilica puts full court press on City Hall to stop proposed development

The Basilica of St. Lawrence is fighting off what it considers another development threat – a hotel planned for land right across the street from its front door. We’ve been here before. What’s surprising to me is that I haven’t heard a word about this proposed development from City Hall.

Back in 2005, Asheville City Council spent tens of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars on a proposed parking lot/office space structure that was never built, in part because of basilica opposition, as well as a change in City Council personnel. It was a huge waste of money and energy.

The basilica, which is 100 years old this year, wants the property to be turned into a park. But that’s apparently not the plan.

PARC proposes a green space across from the basilica. While basilica officials themselves have never pushed for green space that I’m aware of, residents, and PARC, have.

Asheville City Council member Marc Hunt (D) shared his opinion on the feasibility of a park in an open letter published to Mountain Xpress, stating that “conversion of this site to an urban park would require millions,” but offering no data.

Meanwhile, the battle rages on.

 

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

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