Dozens of speakers urged the Asheville City Council to join community calls to protect a 54-acre mature forest on the University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA) south campus from a proposed 5,000-seat stadium, retail and market-rate housing. Speakers — including UNCA faculty, neighborhood association leaders and organized advocacy groups — said the university’s process lacked transparency and that the proposed development would harm biodiversity, shade, climate resilience and local businesses.

Several speakers called on council to adopt a resolution opposing the development or urging UNCA and its Board of Governors to reconsider the lease to a developer. Sean Fairstein, an operational meteorologist, asked council to "adopt a resolution condemning the approval of this proposed development and to partner with the county commissioners as well as community members to find a viable and better alternate site for this stadium." Chris Cottetta, president of the 5 Points Neighborhood Association and organizer with Friends of the Woods, told council that if the developer lease is approved at the Board of Governors meeting in September "the voting public will lose most of its rights to transparency on this project." He urged the council to push for community input now rather than after lease terms are finalized.

Faculty perspective: David Clark, a UNCA botany professor and long-time neighborhood resident, said faculty and students were demoralized and that the administration’s plan failed to include priorities many had asked for, such as childcare, affordable housing and outdoor-recreation infrastructure. Clark also questioned the project’s financial assumptions and asked council to press for transparency about public funding and guarantees.

Council response and legal context: Councilmembers discussed the limits of municipal authority over state-owned university land but signaled support for at least issuing a public statement. When asked whether city noise and other local regulations would apply to a stadium, City Attorney Brad said, "The short answer is absolutely yes as the law stands today," while noting that pending legislation in the General Assembly could change local regulatory authority. Mayor and councilmembers discussed placing a resolution on an August agenda; staff noted there is one council business meeting in August (Aug. 26), and members asked for time to circulate a draft statement to advocacy groups before formal introduction.

What residents want: Petitioners and speakers said they prefer that the site not be developed at all and asked UNCA to seek alternate locations for a stadium and accompanying commercial development. They also urged council to use whatever influence the city has to press for preservation, greater transparency from UNCA, and meaningful community engagement before leases are finalized.

Next steps: Council members indicated they would attempt to prepare a statement or resolution for council consideration before the UNCA Board of Governors vote in September; staff and some councilmembers asked for time to circulate drafts with stakeholders before formal action.