Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Asheville is hosting a series of downtown master plan meetings today. In a front page story and accompanying box today, the Asheville Citizen-Times says the meetings are “tomorrow.” That is incorrect.
What is the downtown master plan? It’s an important new plan that will govern downtown growth. The city has all the information here.
Here’s a snippet:
A set of draft strategies prepared for the Downtown Master Plan will be reviewed during public meetings on Monday, July 28 and Tuesday, July 29. The draft strategies cover three thematic areas of the plan: Experiencing Downtown Asheville, Shaping Downtown Asheville and Managing Downtown Asheville. The master plan’s consultant team will be in Asheville to get feedback on the preliminary strategies and options, which will help determine the direction of the plan.
“This is a critical point in the process to hear from stakeholders on these draft strategies and the direction of the plan,” said Project Manager Sasha Vrtunski. “We’re hoping that citizens who feel they have a stake in downtown will attend one or more of the meetings.”
Click here to review the draft strategies that will be discussed at the community meetings. Following this round of meetings, a draft master plan is scheduled for release in mid-September. A public meeting will be held on September 18 for feedback on the draft.
Below is a schedule of meetings this week. All meetings are at the Asheville Public Works Building, 161 S. Charlotte Street, with the exception of the evening meeting at the Asheville Civic Center on Tuesday, July 29. All meetings are open to the public.
Here’s the meeting schedule:
Downtown Business Owners Meeting
Tuesday, July 29
8-10 a.m.
Public Works Building, 161 S. Charlotte St.
The downtown business community is invited to meet and exchange ideas with the planning team. This session will focus on the needs of the business community and business improvement strategies being developed for the master plan.
Strategy 2: Shaping Downtown Asheville
Tuesday, July 29
10 a.m.- noon
Public Works Building, 161 S. Charlotte St.
Join us for a discussion on draft strategies related to how our downtown develops in the future – an urban design framework; new ideas for the development review process; an updated design review procedure; sustainable building standards, etc.
Strategy 3: Enriching Downtown Asheville
Tuesday, July 29
1-3 p.m.
Public Works Building, 161 S. Charlotte St.
In this session, we focus on strategies related to nurturing a sustainable and resilient downtown economy, including many redevelopment possibilities and options as well as a management structure for downtown.
Community Meeting: Strategies for a Vibrant Downtown Asheville
Tuesday, July 29
6–9 p.m.
Asheville Civic Center
Join us for a review of the strategies suggested by the planning team, as well as comments and ideas generated through the above workshops and community input meetings. There will be presentations and discussions, questions and answers, and ideas for a draft downtown master plan. We need your help and value your time and input.
