Asheville Downtown Commission Last updated or reviewed on July 26, 2024 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. View current members and board composition requirements here More information about the Downtown Commission’s role and duties is available here. Regular Meeting Schedule The Downtown Commission will meet in-person on the 4th Friday of each month at 9:00 a.m. in the first floor conference room of City Hall (70 Court Plaza). *Note, the July 26 meeting will be held virtually and recorded.* The typical length of each meeting is 1-2 hours. All meetings are live streamed (when possible) on the City’s YouTube Channel and the Downtown Commission’s Public Input Page. Voicemail and written comments may be submitted before 5:00 p.m. the day before the meeting and will be provided to Downtown Commission members prior to the meeting. The email address for public comments is AVLdowntowncommission@publicinput.com. More information about submitting public comments in advance of the meeting is available here. Public comments during the meeting can only be made in-person. (In-person public comment opportunities are not currently available for virtual meetings.) Have an issue with participating in a board or commission meeting, in person or virtually? Use this form to let us know! Upcoming Meetings & Special Notices NOTICE: The Downtown Commission meeting scheduled for July 26, 2024 will now be held virtually due to facility issues in the first floor conference room. The meeting will be RECORDED and posted following on the City’s YouTube Channel. To provide public comment, please email AVLdowntowncommission@publicinput.com. To receive Downtown Commission meeting notices and agendas by email, please contact Dana Frankel at dfrankel@ashevillenc.gov. Sub-Committees Design Review Committee 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. Downtown Public Space Enhancement Committee 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. Business Improvement District Working Group 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. Downtown Public Space Management – not currently active 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. Agendas and Documents Agenda Documents Action Minutes Recording July 26, 2024 Agenda – this meeting will be held virtually and live-streamed July 26, 2024 Video The June 28, 2024 Meeting is Cancelled due to lack of new business items. N/A May 24, 2024 Agenda See links in Agenda May 24, 2024 Minutes (to be posted once approved in June) May 24, 2024 Video April 26, 2024 Agenda See links in Agenda April 26, 2024 Minutes April 26, 2024 Video April 22, 2024 Annual Retreat Agenda See links in Agenda April 22, 2024 Minutes N/A March 22, 2024 Agenda See links in Agenda March 22, 2024 Minutes March 22, 2024 Video February 23, 2024 Agenda See links in Agenda February 23, 2024 Minutes February 23, 2024 Video January 26, 2024 Agenda See links in Agenda January 26, 2024 Minutes January 26, 2024 Video December 15, 2023 Agenda (in place of regularly scheduled 11/24 and 12/22 meetings) See links in Agenda December 15, 2023 Minutes December 15, 2023 Video (audio for the first 25 can be accessed here) October 27, 2023 Agenda See links in Agenda October 27, 2023 Minutes link to compiled video (technical issues occurred) September 22, 2023 Agenda See links in Agenda September 22, 2023 Minutes September 22, 2023 Video August 25, 2023 Agenda See links in Agenda August 25, 2023 Minutes part 1, part 2 and part 3 (technical issues occurred) July 14, 2023 Agenda See links in Agenda July 14, 2023 Minutes July 14, 2023 Video June 29, 2023 Pack Square Plaza Visioning Advisory Committee Meeting See presentation N/A June 29, 2023 Public Space Management Task Force Agenda See links in Agenda N/A June 9, 2023 Agenda See links in Agenda June 9, 2023 Action Minutes June 9, 2023 Video May 12, 2023 Agenda See links in Agenda May 12, 2023 Action Minutes May 12, 2023 Video April 14, 2023 Agenda See links in Agenda April 14, 2023 Action Minutes April 14, 2023 Video Public Space Management Task Force Agenda – March 29, 2023 See links in Agenda N/A March 29, 2023 Video March 10, 2023 Agenda March 10, 2023 Materials March 10, 2023 Action Minutes March 10, 2023 Video February 17, 2023 Work Session Agenda February 17, 2023 Work Session Materials Work Session Notes N/A February 17, 2023 Pack Square Plaza Visioning Community Advisory Committee Agenda February 17, 2023 presentation N/A February 10, 2023 Agenda February 10, 2023 Materials February 10, 2023 Action Minutes February 10, 2023 Video January 13, 2023 Commissioners to participate in Pack Square Visioning Design Workshop Dec 2021 and Calendar Year 2022 Meeting Materials and Recordings 2022 Meeting Materials 2021 Meeting Materials 2020 Meeting Materials 2019 Meeting Materials 2018 Meeting Materials Membership and Resource Documents 2024 Meeting Dates Membership Roster Downtown Master Plan Plan Appendices Downtown Commission Charter Rules of Procedure (updated May 2021) 2018 Annual Report 2019 Annual Report 2020 Annual Report 2021 Annual Report 2022 Annual Report 2023 Annual Report Member contact: Bryan Moffitt, Chair – Bryan.moffitt@arca-design.com Contact Information Dana Frankel, Downtown Planning Manager 828-273-5248
