The Asheville Downtown Commission was created by City Council for the sustainability and continued development of downtown, a vital urban center of western North Carolina’s economic, cultural and visitor activity.
The Downtown Commission provides City Council with recommendations on downtown policies and programs. In addition, Downtown Commissioners fill 3 out of 9 seats of the City’s Design Review Committee, which reviews development projects within the Central Business District, the River Arts District and hotel projects outside of those areas. The Downtown Commission provides input on development projects outside of the scope of Design Review, including impacts related to land use, economic development, parking, public space, safety, sustainability, etc.
Downtown Commission Establishing Ordinance
Asheville Downtown Commission Documents (meeting materials, annual reports, annual work plans, governing documents, enabling statutes, resolutions, ordinances, etc.)
The commission shall consist of 11 members. The appointed composition will be as follows:
The members appointed by the city council and county commissioners from the private sector of the community shall represent various segments of the greater downtown community such as, but not limited to, property owners, merchants, residents, businesses and institutions; and shall have a willingness to participate actively in commission efforts; and shall possess expertise and interest in the sustainability and development of downtown.
Members of the commission shall serve staggered, three-year terms, with the exception of the city council member, and the person serving in the position allocated for the Asheville Downtown Association, each of whom will serve according to the length of their respective terms of office. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all members appointed by the Asheville City Council shall serve at the pleasure of Council, and may be removed at any time with or without cause. At-large members will be eligible for reappointment for one term.
Meetings of the Asheville Downtown Commission will be scheduled as-needed until June 30, 2027, unless noticed otherwise. This page will be updated as new information becomes available. Special meetings may occur if a board needs to meet regarding Helene-related or pressing matters.
Members of boards that are meeting on an as-needed basis have the following pathways to propose new tasks that have not been directed by City Council:
Ask their board’s representative on the Helene Recovery Boards to present the idea to their respective Recovery Board.
Communicate the idea to a Council Committee.
Communicate the idea to City Council.
Ask their board chair to present the idea to the department director who provides support to their board (e.g., Urban Forestry Master Plan, Arts & Culture Plan, Home Repair, Resilience Hubs, etc.)
No upcoming meeting information found.
To view more upcoming Downtown Commission events, visit the Events Calendar.
Public Access:
Public Comment:
Information about the Design Review Committee can be found at ashevillenc.gov/drc. Please contact Will Palmquist at wpalmquist@ashevillenc.gov with specific questions about the downtown design review process.
At the May 24, 2024 meeting the Downtown Commission established a Public Space Enhancement Committee in the place of the previously established Public Space Management Committee. More information on this committee and its meeting schedule is in-progress. Committee co-chairs are Hayden Plemmons and Nur Edwards.
At the May 24, 2024 Downtown Commission meeting, a Business Improvement District (BID) Implementation Working Group was established to provide input to staff on the public engagement process that will take place prior to issuing an RFP for a service provider. The working group will report out updates to the Downtown Commission during their regular meeting times. More information about the Downtown BID and the process of implementation is available here.
An ad-hoc Public Space Management Committee was formed in late 2018 to undertake guide policy and operational updates to address needs identified in the Downtown Master Plan related to management of public spaces. Following an extensive public engagement process, a Downtown Public Space Management Framework and Recommendations document was developed.
The committee’s work was suspended during COVID, and staff’s focused turned toward the AVL Shares Space temporary outdoor expansion initiatives. It was re-established in January 2022. Participation in 2022-2023 is viewable here.
More information is available here. Applications are not being actively reviewed at this time. The committee may re-assemble on an ad-hoc basis.
Member contact: Bryan Moffitt, Chair – Bryan.moffitt@arca-design.com
For older Asheville Downtown Commission materials, please visit the Asheville Downtown Commission Documents folder. To watch older recordings, you may view them on the Engagement Hub.
Code Purple in effect December 3-5
