From Jason Sandford at Ashvegas.com: "Asheville City Council voted 4-3 Tuesday night in favor of a plan to remodel the iconic Flatiron Building into a boutique hotel, a head-turning reversal from a month ago, when a majority of City Council members indicated they opposed the plan."
You can see the project plans here.
The building owner and developer have modified the original plans in order to win approval from Council.
The building is so old that attempts to upgrade vital mechanical system would require massive amounts of money to bring the building up to current code. (There are no sprinklers, for example.) The owner of the building says he can't afford fix it, and he can't afford not to. So, turning it into a boutique hotel is the only way to generate the revenue needed to save the building.
David Forbes from the Asheville Blade opposes the project.
Pete's Prep: Wednesday, June 26, 2019
- North Carolina legislative leaders from the House and Senate have agreed to a budget deal. Republicans are pleased. Democrats are not.
- WRAL has a rundown of what the General Assembly will be working on today.
- From Sister Toldjah at Redstate.com: "Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has spent the last year proclaiming herself to be a champion of migrant women, children and families who are trying to cross the border.... But earlier today the freshman Congresswoman revealed a hypocrisy and duplicity on the border issue that is so stunning in nature that it almost takes your breath away."