Asheville Downtown Commission

Last updated or reviewed on September 23, 2022

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 4 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. 

More information about the Downtown Commission’s role and duties is available here.

More information about the Design Review Committee, including agendas and materials for upcoming meetings, is available here. 

Regular Meeting Schedule

The Downtown Commission meets virtually on the second Friday of each month at 9:30 a.m. The typical length of each meeting is 1-2 hours.

Upcoming Meetings & Special Notices

NOTICE: The next Downtown Commission meeting is scheduled for October 14, 2022. See the table below for meeting agenda and materials.

This will be a remote meeting which the public can access by any of the following means:

    • Watch live through the Engagement Hub at PublicInput.com/W0132
    • Watch live through the City’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/CityofAsheville
    • Listen live on your phone by calling 855-925-2801, then entering code 9272
    • Submit a voicemail comment by calling 855-925-2801, then entering code 9272 (closes at 5:00 p.m. the day before the meeting)
    • Submit a written comment by sending an email to AVLDowntownCommission@PublicInput.com (closes at 5:00 p.m. the day before the meeting)
    • LIVE call-in comments during the public comment portion of the agenda – call 855-925-2801, enter code 9272, then press * and select option 3

NOTE: Voicemail and written comments submitted before 5:00 p.m. the day before the meeting will be provided to Downtown Commission members prior to the meeting. Only live comments will be heard during the meeting. 

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 Management Task Force 

Downtown Public Space Management is the focus of the for laying groundwork for updates to the Downtown Master Plan. An ad-hoc Public Space Management Committee was formed in late 2018 to guide this work.  Following a workshop with the committee on October 24, 2019, staff began drafting the framework and recommendations. The committee’s work was suspended during COVID, and staff’s focused turned toward the AVL Shares Space temporary outdoor expansion initiatives.

At the Downtown Commission’s January 2022 meeting, there was unanimous support to reboot the Committee, and to seek participation from various representative groups. More information and an application form to participate is available here. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis with representative roles filled as-needed. 

The Committee is chaired by Andrew Fletcher. 

Monthly meetings are being scheduled based on Task Force member availability. The most recent meeting was held on June 23, 2022. Materials from the meeting are available here. The next meeting will be held in October 2022. 

Parking & Transportation Working Group

This Working Group of the Downtown Commission is currently led by Karen Ramshaw (karenramshaw@pubintproj.com). Regular meetings were suspended during COVID-19 and are not being held regularly. 

Previous agendas and meeting notes are are available here.

April 15, 2021 – Parking & Transportation Working Group – video link

 

Agendas and Documents

Agenda

Documents

Action Minutes 

Video
October 14, 2022 Agenda (to be posted) October 14, 2022 Materials    
No meeting in September
August 12, 2022 Agenda August 12, 2022 Materials August 12, 2022 Minutes (draft) August 12, 2022 Video
July 8, 2022 Agenda  July 8, 2022 Materials July 8, 2022 Minutes July 8, 2022 Video
June 23, 2022 Public Space Management Task Force Agenda June 23, 2022 Materials N/A June 23, 2022 Video
June 10, 2022 Agenda  June 10, 2022 Materials June 10, 2022 Minutes June 10, 2022 Video
May 13, 2022 Agenda May 13, 2022 Materials May 13, 2022 Minutes May 13, 2022 Video
May 5, 2022 Public Space Management Task Force Agenda May 5, 2022 Materials N/A May 5, 2022 Video
Public Space Management Task Force Site Visits – April 6 and April 28 (Worksheet) April Site Visit Materials N/A N/A
April 8, 2022 Agenda April 8, 2022 Materials April 8, 2022 Minutes April 8, 2022 Video
March 25, 2022 Public Space Management Task Force Agenda March 25, 2022 PSMTF Materials N/A March 25, 2022 Video
March 11, 2022 Agenda March 11, 2022 Materials March 11, 2022 Minutes March 11, 2022 Video
February 11, 2022 Agenda February 11, 2022 Materials February 11, 2022 Minutes February 11, 2022 Video
January 14, 2022 Agenda January 14, 2022 Materials  January 14, 2022 Minutes January 14, 2022 Video
December 16 work session w/ Multimodal Transportation Commission  December 16, 2021 Materials  December 16, 2021 Minutes December 16, 2021 Video
December 10, 2021 Agenda  December 10, 2021 Materials  December 10, 2021 Minutes December 10, 2021 Video
November 12, 2021 Agenda November 12, 2021 Documents  November 12, 2021 Minutes  November 12, 2021 Video
October 8, 2021 Agenda October 8, 2021 Documents October 8, 2021 Minutes October 8, 2021 Video
September 10, 2021 Agenda September 10, 2021 Documents September 10, 2021 Minutes September 10, 2021 Video
August 13, 2021 Agenda August 13, 2021 Documents August 12, 2021 Minutes August 13, 2021 Video
No meeting in July
June 11, 2021 Agenda June 11, 2021 Documents June 11, 2021 Minutes June 11, 2021 Video
May 14, 2021 Agenda May 14, 2021 Documents May 14, 2021 Minutes May 14, 2021 Video
No meeting in April
March 12, 2021 Agenda March 12, 2021 Documents March 12, 2021 Minutes March 12, 2021 Video
February 26, 2021 Agenda February 26, 2021 Documents February 26, 2021 Minutes February 26, 2021 Video
February 12, 2021 Agenda February 12, 2021 Documents February 12, 2021 Minutes February 12, 2021 Video
No meetings in December or January
November 13, 2020 Agenda November 13, 2020 Documents  November 13, 2020 Minutes November 13, 2020 Video
October 9, 2020 Agenda October 9, 2020 Documents October 9, 2020 Minutes October 9, 2020 Video
September 11, 2020 Agenda September 11, 2020 Documents September 11, 2020 Minutes September 11, 2020 Video
January – August 2020 Meeting Materials
2019 Meeting Materials
2018 Meeting Materials

Membership and Resource Documents

Member contact: Bryan Moffitt, Chair – Bryan.moffitt@arca-design.com 

Contact Information

Dana Frankel, Downtown Planning Manager
Office: 828-251-4051
Cell: 828-273-5248