BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. (WLOS) — More business owners in Black Mountain say sudden enforcement changes by the town are threatening their livelihoods and they want to know why rules they previously followed are now being interpreted differently.
This comes one day after Black Mountain Brewing said its permitted upper deck was suddenly closed despite years of approvals and inspections.
Now, the owner of another downtown restaurant says he experienced the same thing.
Open Oven owner Steven Paulson said his rooftop seating area, approved, permitted and inspected by the town, helped keep his business alive during the pandemic.
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“We passed every inspection we were given,” Paulson said. “We thought we did everything right.”
He said the rooftop operated for more than a year before a new inspector found issues previously missed. Paulson said the town later required the rooftop to be closed and ultimately removed.
“I’m not an engineer, that’s why inspections exist,” he said. “Those checks and balances were missed and we were left holding the bag.”
Paulson said the decision cut his seating capacity in half and has made sustaining the business significantly more difficult.
News 13 began requesting information from the Town of Black Mountain on Monday, Dec. 1, ahead of our initial report.
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Over the past two days, we emailed the mayor, all town commissioners, the building inspector and town manager Josh Harrold, requesting:
- An interview
- Any documentation showing safety concerns or code violations
- A clear explanation of what has changed in enforcement
Harrold responded Tuesday in an email to News 13:
“The Town will be releasing a statement of facts this afternoon regarding this matter. We will not be doing an interview.”
When asked whether the town’s statement could be provided before airtime to include its position in our reporting, Harrold later wrote:
“We are not interested in doing an interview It appears there’s a need from WLOS to continue to push a story that isn’t a story.”
After additional businesses came forward, and News 13 again requested an interview, Harrold sent a third email:
“Consider this my last email on this subject I would implore you to do a little more research on how local governments operate in NC A statement will be released when we are ready.”
The emails were also copied to the town’s planning director, Michelle Kennedy, who is involved in the permitting and inspection process.
As of publication, the town has not provided the promised “statement of facts.”
