Wonders why anyone is taking Coleman seriously

Comments on Topix forums : It seems that the discussion about meeting S.B. Coleman's demands for huge sums of money to cover his costs thus far in planning his Parkside building assumes that citizens owe it to ...

[yona]

Lesson:

Mr. Coleman bought a piece of property offered by the county legally. We know it was legal because insurance was issued and a title search turned up no issues. Multiple lawyers were involved, this was a big deal.

Mr. Coleman has invested a significant amount of money into a project whole heartedly endorsed by city and county, up until the left gathered a small group and protested. City and county both jumped ship and left Mr. Coleman holding the bag. He has offered to sale the disputed land back plus his other property for his total investment.

It was a legal sale so either city and county take his offer or Mr. Coleman goes to court against the supposed Pack heirs and proves the land was legally purchased. Then he can build his building.

If for some reason the land is ceded back to the supposed Pack heirs there is no guarantee as to what they will do with it. They could sale it to the city or sale it to a developer. Eiter way we end up paying Mr. Coleman his investment and then paying the supposed Pack heirs millions for the land. Or we pay Mr. Coleman his investment and the supposed Pack heirs sale the land to another developer that could decide to build a truely hideous building on the land the left wingers fought so hard to deny progress to.

[Ribbon Boy]

Hey, I'm a 'left winger', died in the wool liberal, and I think Coleman is being screwed too. The deal was either legal or not and should be dealt with in that fashion.
These comments are more about ignorance and knowledge than politics.

[CJOHNNY]

Build the damn thing 23 stories high.
git-it=on.
Build it to be flush with the one that is going to be built on Haywood St.Asheville has gone to hell anyway so git=it=on.

[OUTSPOKEN]

Asheville/Buncomb County are in the cat-bird seat for developing a plan that will enhance the growth and development of the city/county immeasurably.
Soon the developer/planners/builders will go elsewhere and leave the downtown area to become a slum.

[Indigenous]

Karen VanEman, are you serious? I suggest you either think through your thoughts before making them public or at least ask the advise of someone with any reason or factual information first. Coleman owns the land and the building has been approved for construction. What private business owner who depends on profit to pay employees, pay overhead and continue to exist would agree to loose millions to appease a few protesters who generally don't bother to understand the facts of the project? What does this have to do with speculation? You are suggesting that he give the project away and loose millions before he even has the opportunity to speculate. It's about a local builder creating what I believe to be an atractive building and a great benefit to the park and downtown. In the very least a tremendous improvement to what exists there now, a delapidated building and a dark alley, lifeless part of the park. This non-profit mentality will bring downtown Asheville to it's knees. Rather than a growing, thriving downtown that welcomes residential/commercial growth, it turns away opportunity and sends development to farmland, woodlands, and our mountain's slopes.

[Gordon Smith]

Coleman was informally offered $4 million dollars for the two parcels he bought at $1.6 million two years ago. He turned the money down.

He's holding the park land hostage, and it will likely come down to condemnation.

And, yona, stop with the "small group" of protesters nonsense. The opposition to this project now includes:

Buncombe County Commission
Asheville City Council
Asheville Citizen-Times
Buncombe County Democratic Party
Asheville Democracy For America
Western North Carolina Alliance
Asheville Downtown Association
Pack Square Conservancy
Mountain Voices Alliance
PARC
Coven Oldenwilde
Asheville Preservation Society
...and all of the individual citizens who have attended meetings, rallies, the vigil, etc.

Coleman is now threatening to move the building further into the park if the City and County deny him easements. This will put the condominiums directly in front of our landmark building - City Hall.

He seems intent on reinforcing all of the negative stereotypes about developers to the detriment of all the ethical, civically-minded developers in our community.

[Gordon Smithiness]

Don't forget about barry, Boy Scout troop 417 and my cat fluffy.

[Patti]

Eminent Domain, take it. Why ever not use this now? I really think Buncombe Couty Commissioners sold the land as a way of saying thank you to the city for the water dispute. I mean, what a perfect payback, sell the primo property of the city, right in the front yard of City Hall! Bill Stanley's BBQ business was in the Hayes Hopkins building for years(until a hepatitis outbreak drove down business. Stanley owned the H and H building that sits next to the "park" and Stanley didn't realise where the property was located? I don't like Colemans plans, however, I also don't blame him for this whole mess. Unless Coleman did something behind the scenes that is unknown, he should not be the recipient of the publics anger, it should be with the Buncombe County Commissioners!

[bruce wayne]

Gordon you keep refering to this large group of people that are against this project, so what. The law is on Mr. Coleman's side. He owns the land and the plan is in accordance with the cities own code for the lot in question. If you and the wiccan's hadn't started all of this mess these sheep would not have opened their mouth about this project. This building in no way infringes on the parkland because the land never was part of the park.You just want to cause trouble for some reason. I think 98%of those that signed their name as opposing the building are ashamed to be seen with the wiccans and other tree huggers that camp out under the tree.

[Jim Samson]

bruce wayne wrote:

Gordon you keep refering to this large group of people that are against this project, so what. The law is on Mr. Coleman's side. He owns the land and the plan is in accordance with the cities own code for the lot in question. If you and the wiccan's hadn't started all of this mess these sheep would not have opened their mouth about this project. This building in no way infringes on the parkland because the land never was part of the park.You just want to cause trouble for some reason. I think 98%of those that signed their name as opposing the building are ashamed to be seen with the wiccans and other tree huggers that camp out under the tree.

I beleive that Carol King started the "Witch Hunt" with Eline Lite help. So you can point your finger at King.

[Mtnbred]

By the 'will' that was posted, this little piece of property and ALL the parkland 'resorts' back to the Pack family...it was to be used for parkland 'forever'. I do blame the Commisioners who sit in their high chairs and claim ignorance. Isn't that the norm?

Let the Pack family do with it as they please as the commisioners seem to want to cut their noses off to spite their face, as the saying goes. It is not about Coleman getting such a good deal, it's about the commisioners going against someones will. Just perhaps the Pack heirs will return it back to the county, maybe not. But either way, it is theirs and the law should be on their side in this.

Wish I was an heir of Pack. I know what I would do. I'd build a shack smack dab in the middle and post "No Tresspassing Signs" all around, just like the transplants moving here are doing out in the county. And I would fly the Stars and Bars and have it fenced in where my dogs could run. What a concept, ehhh?

[AshevilleNative]

Mtnbred wrote:

By the 'will' that was posted, this little piece of property and ALL the parkland 'resorts' back to the Pack family...it was to be used for parkland 'forever'. I do blame the Commisioners who sit in their high chairs and claim ignorance. Isn't that the norm?
Let the Pack family do with it as they please as the commisioners seem to want to cut their noses off to spite their face, as the saying goes. It is not about Coleman getting such a good deal, it's about the commisioners going against someones will. Just perhaps the Pack heirs will return it back to the county, maybe not. But either way, it is theirs and the law should be on their side in this.

That does appear to be the case at this point. If the land is clearly part of the original parkland donated by Pack to be used in perpetuity as public park space; and since the County foolishly attempted to sell it off to a private investor; the land has simply reverted back to the Pack family. So it now belongs to neither the county nor to Coleman.

IF Coleman was only granted a quit claim deed, as has been claimed, he obviously knew the risk he was taking. IF he was still able to get title insurance, as some have claimed, then the title company will pay off and Coleman need not try to gain millions of dollars from the county and the taxpayers. Clearly, the county scr*wed up big time. Major blunder. But Coleman can choose to take the higher road.

IF Coleman had any civic-mindedness whatsoever, he would withdraw from this fiasco, get paid off by the title company, leave the parkland to the public and build somewhere else. IF he tries to make millions off of a property he paid a very modest sum for only a few months ago -- clearly, a sum that was far under market value -- then, I agree, he's trying to hold the parkland hostage purely for ego and for personal financial gain.

[Mtnbred]

AshevilleNative wrote:

<quoted text>
That does appear to be the case at this point. If the land is clearly part of the original parkland donated by Pack to be used in perpetuity as public park space; and since the County foolishly attempted to sell it off to a private investor; the land has simply reverted back to the Pack family. So it now belongs to neither the county nor to Coleman.
IF Coleman was only granted a quit claim deed, as has been claimed, he obviously knew the risk he was taking. IF he was still able to get title insurance, as some have claimed, then the title company will pay off and Coleman need not try to gain millions of dollars from the county and the taxpayers. Clearly, the county scr*wed up big time. Major blunder. But Coleman can choose to take the higher road.
IF Coleman had any civic-mindedness whatsoever, he would withdraw from this fiasco, get paid off by the title company, leave the parkland to the public and build somewhere else. IF he tries to make millions off of a property he paid a very modest sum for only a few months ago -- clearly, a sum that was far under market value -- then, I agree, he's trying to hold the parkland hostage purely for ego and for personal financial gain.

That's how I view this developer also. He is a speculator and gambles. Sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn't.

He still has the 'private property' that he purchased and why he insists on 'owning' the parl property shows me what he is really made of. BUT, that being said---he evidently bought it according to the rules---EXCEPT it wasn't For Sale according to the 'will' making the sale void...least ways, that's the way I see it.

[Mtnbred]

ummmm...'owning' the park property....

correction before the PC crowd gets ahold of this!! lol