Montford Blog

Watch for the little green postcard in the mail from The Historic Resources Commission(HRC)!

HRC will hold a public meeting to discuss proposed revisions to the Montford Design Review Guidelines.  January 19, 2010, 6:30 – 9:00pm at the Montford Community Center  Please be present to show your interest and ask questions.

You can read a draft of the revised guidelines below, or they can also be reviewed on the city website by clicking here.  The links are under Department News.

Montford Guidelines -DRAFT

You can also pick up a copy in the Planning Department on the 5th floor of City Hall.

ACMS General, HRC

Mary Trauner set up a thorough Neighborhood Watch info page that includes important phone numbers, a map of our neighborhood and current block captains, and all the info a prospective block captain needs to know.  Click Here to check it out.

ACMS Crime, General, Neighborhood Watch Neighborhood Watch Montford

Concerned about how the I-26 connector will affect your neighborhood?   The ConnectUs Project is a website run by a city-wide group of concerned citizens working to get the best result for the people that will have to live with the final I-26 connector results. Click here to visit this website.

“The mission of the I-26 ConnectUs Project is to advance a common vision and secure a design for the I-26 Connector Project that conforms to the key project design goals of the CCC report and benefits all parts of the Asheville community to the greatest extent possible.

The I-26 ConnectUs Project coordinates advocacy and education about the I-26 Connector Project through a steering committee made up of neighborhood representatives, interested organizations, and concerned Asheville citizens.”

- From the ConnectUs website home page.

ACMS General, I-26

Two Commission Seats Available

Stacy Merten, Director, Asheville-Buncombe County Historic ResourcesCommission

There are currently two openings on the HRC that need to be filled. We encourage applications from Montford, Biltmore Village, and Albemarle Park. We currently have one Montford resident on the HRC, but no one from the other historic districts.

Applicants should have some type of art, architecture, design, history, planning, or construction background and/or interest in historic preservation, per the federal Certified Local Government program to which we belong. Applications should be directed to the City Clerk, Maggie Burleson, or Kathy Hughes, Clerk to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners.

The deadline for applications is Thursday, October 8, 2009, at 5:00 p.m. Potential applicants may contact me for more information at 259-5836 or smerten@ ashevillenc.gov

ACMS General, HRC HRC positions available stacy merten

Join Your Neighbors on September 15

by Karen Kellow

Stacy Merten, director of the HRC, and Diane Demetris-Duermit, HRC chair, will present to Montford residents at the September 15 meeting of the Montford Neighborhood Association. Stacy and Diane have been actively involved in revising our Design Review Guidelines for the Montford Historic District. When the neighborhood was working on its recommendations, they attended the majority of the meetings and were helpful throughout the process. Now they are translating that work into the latest version of the Guidelines.

MNA Goals

We went into this effort with three overarching goals:

• Preserve the integrity of the Montford Historic District
• Build and improve the relationship between the HRC and Montford property owners
• Balance the needs and desires of Montford property owners with the goals of the HRC.

Come with Questions and Concerns

Here’s a great opportunity to speak directly with Stacy and Diane. Ask about their perspective on how well we are meeting the three goals. Ask about the project as a whole, Montford’s relationship with the HRC, or anything else on your mind. Find out where we are in the timeline for the newest version of the Guidelines to be available for Montford commentary. We hope to see you at the Montford Community Center on Pearson Drive on Tuesday, September 15, at 7:00 p.m.

ACMS Events, General, HRC HRC meeting

The Historic Resources Commission (HRC) would like to thank the HRC/MNA Liaison Committee for the enormous time and energy that went into drafting suggestions for updating the Montford Area Historic District Design Review Guidelines.

The HRC is now working together jointly with the neighborhood to further the process and compile a comprehensive approved the format and outline of the new document. In order to better facilitate and expedite the process of updating the Guidelines, the HRC believes a comprehensive approach is the most efficient method. Consequently, after consultation with the HRC Liaison Committee, the HRC Executive Committee directed the HRC staff to review the information prepared by the neighborhood and draft new Guidelines that incorporate the language and goals of the MNA with the goals of the HRC to provide both the neighborhood and the HRC with more clear and concise information for reference in the preparation and review of applications for design review.

When the first draft is completed, the joint committee will reconvene to review and comment on the draft. It will then be reviewed by the HRC before being presented to the neighborhood for review and comment sometime this fall.

The HRC and staff will be at the MNA meeting on September 15 to answer any questions you may have and will be in touch with you as we progress through the process of updating the Montford Area Historic District Design Review Guidelines. Thank you again for your support with this process.

ACMS General, HRC HRC guidlines response

WLOS TV will air a segment tonight at 6 P.M. filmed in the Riverside Cemetery about the Montford Neighborhood Association’s position statement on the  I-26 connector project. Several Montford residents and members of the I-26 working group were interviewed. Please let others know about this coverage so they can watch.

Giorgio P. Cave

bambino noir General

The first Neighborhood Watch meeting has been delayed until after the September meeting to avoid interference with the HRC preservation meeting. Stay tuned – we will send more info later!!
Pam 713-9440

ACMS General, Neighborhood Watch

The new position statement is now available. Click to view this PDF

Travis Lowe General, I-26 7/18/2009, I-26 Montford Position Statment

An official position statement for this point in the I-26 Connector planning process was adopted at the Montford Neighborhood Association meeting last night. The summary is as follows:

Residents of Montford, and the Montford Neighborhood Association (MNA) believe that any and all proposed plans for the I-26 connector must be brought into compliance with the CCC design goals and with other adopted community-based, context-sensitive goals. We agree that protecting this precious jewel of a city from possible threats to its quality of life are essential duties, perhaps even a sacred trust of its citizens. We are certain that judicious adherence to the CCC’s design goals will yield the best design for our neighborhood as well as for the city.

We believe that all four alternatives, as presented, require significant revisions to meet the community’s stated goals for this project.

Full Statement:  I-26 Montford Position Statement

Travis Lowe I-26