About Robert (Bob) Oast, Jr.
Bob is an attorney and a certified planner with over 30 years experience in local government and land use. He was the City Attorney for Asheville for over 17 years, retiring in 2013. He also worked as City Attorney in Greenville, NC, and as Assistant City Attorney in Wilmington, NC. He represented the City of Asheville in several major land use and economic development matters, including the redevelopment of the Grove Arcade, the development of the Aloft Hotel/parking deck, and the location of the New Belgium Brewery and the Linamar heavy equipment manufacturing facility. He has worked with all types of administrative boards in Asheville and other cities. Bob is currently on the faculty of the City and Regional Planning Section of the Knowlton School of Architecture at The Ohio State University, where he teaches land use law. Bob is known as a problem solver, and uses his familiarity with local government law to develop creative approaches to land use and development opportunities. CLIENT SUCCESSESRepresented and advised the City of Asheville in several annexation cases, from initial field work through all levels of appeal in state courtDrafted or reviewed numerous sections of city codes and ordinances in Asheville and elsewhere, including special use permits and conditional zoning ordinancesDrafted several public/private development agreements, including Aloft Hotel and Grove Arcade in Asheville, and the courthouse for the Eastern District of North Carolina in GreenvilleAdvised the City of Asheville in connection with several major public financing matters, including revenue bonds, certificates of participation, and installment purchase contractsRepresented municipalities and submitted amicus curiae briefs in several constitutional cases in the North Carolina Supreme Court and Court of AppealsProposed legislation for the City of Asheville on several matters, and monitored the legislative process from introduction to enactment; participated in the drafting of legislation revising the land use appeals process in North CarolinaCOMMUNITY INVOLVEMENTBob grew up in Asheville and attended local schools. In addition to being City Attorney, Bob has been involved with the local and regional community in several ways:Lawyer on the Line (NC Bar Association telephone legal assistance)Officer and board member of Asheville Bicycle Racing ClubActor in the Montford Park Players Bob is a past chair of the Economic Development subcommittee of the Zoning and Land use section of American Bar Association. He also served as member of the initial board and chair of the Zoning, Planning and Land Use Law section of the NC Bar Association, and he is a past president of the NC Municipal Attorneys Association. As a member of the faculty at Ohio State, he serves on the board of the Academic Advisory Council for Signage Research and Education.