Asheville residents urge Buncombe County commissioners to oppose UNCA stadium proposal and preserve urban forest

Dozens of residents, students and faculty urged the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday to oppose a proposed stadium and mixed-use development on University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA) property that speakers said would clear a mature urban forest.

Speakers told the commissioners the woods serve as an outdoor classroom, reduce heat and flood risk in Asheville and that alternatives exist for siting a stadium. Multiple speakers asked the commission to pass a resolution opposing UNCA's plan and to help coordinate a land swap so the university and community could both meet their needs without removing the forest.

The public comment period included UNCA alumni, neighborhood leaders and faculty who traced the project’s potential impacts to neighborhood quality, stormwater and tree canopy. Marina Brain, who identified herself as a UNCA alumna, said, “When UNCA states that this property is undeveloped with no educational value, I know for a fact that's not true.” Sam Fontaine, another UNCA alumnus, told commissioners the…