This Monday, the North Carolina Senate will consider a fast-tracked bill (HB926) that would strip Buncombe and other counties of their local zoning authority, giving UNC system schools unchecked power to build massive projects like the proposed 5,000-seat soccer stadium without local oversight. Section 18 of this bill would silence our local representatives' voices, override community standards, and allow unelected state bureaucrats to reshape our neighborhoods without accountability. We must act now to stop this power grab.

Changes within this bill pave the way for UNCA and Asheville City Soccer Club’s stadium project to move forward unencumbered by local laws. Passage of this bill would allow UNCA and Asheville City Soccer Club’s proposed stadium to ignore local sound ordinances and light regulations, hosting concerts and sporting events without any restrictions and building without regard to local government zoning and development regulations.