South Slope The South Slope Visioning process is a planning process led by the City of Asheville with the community and business stakeholders in the South Slope to develop a long term vision for the area. Once the plan is finalized, it will be presented to City Council for adoption. Staff will then work with the community to implement the community’s vision for the South Slope. What is the South Slope? The South Slope is the area of town south of the Downtown core. There is actually a little overlap between the Downtown, Southside and South Slope study area. The objectives of the South Slope Vision Plan are to: Assess existing and needed infrastructure that will support a growing tax base. Assess and prioritize multimodal transportation and streetscape and intersection improvements (in coordination with the Asheville in Motion Plan). Promote quality development by identifying preferred land uses, strategies for encouraging innovative and sustainable forms of development, and evaluating city-owned property for its highest and best use. Contribute to a strong local economy by facilitating private investment, job growth, small business and entrepreneurship. Preserve and encourage a unique sense of place by celebrating the people and culture of the area, past and present. Ensure the safety of all who work, live and visit the district. Timeline November 2017 to February 2018 – Initial Community Input on Vision Plan February 2018 to March 2018 – Staff develops draft concepts, visuals and strategies. March 2018 to April 2018 – Draft concepts presented for community feedback November 2019 to December 2019 – Draft Plan presented to Advisory Committee December 2019 to January 2020 – Review of Draft Plan by Public March 2020 to April 2020 – Review and Approval of Final Plan by Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council Previous Input Opportunities February 26, 2018 – Status Update Meeting at 6 p.m. January 30, 2018 – Drop-In Open House from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. January 20, 2018 – from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Design Workshop November 16, 2017 – at 5:30 p.m.- South Slope Visioning Kick-Off meeting November 2017 to February 2018 – The Pop-Up Studio at the Refinery was open every Thursday and Friday. This space saw over 100 stakeholders drop-in and give input. Several small group stake-holder meetings took place in the studio space. An on-line survey about the South Slope was taken by 152 people. See the survey information. Related Projects The South Slope Vision Plan will form the foundation for other projects happening in the next 3 years including: Re-design of South Lexington and Coxe Avenues Greenway Connector (River to Ridge) project- input will be gathered at the same time of the South Slope Visioning Plan Biltmore and McDowell complete street feasibility study Downtown Master Plan Update Memorial Field and Mountain Side Park are bond projects and this visioning plan may inform redevelopment of these projects Public parking policy and affordable housing development Work in Progress South Slope Visioning Work In Progress Presentation Based on several community input meetings, staff has put together a presentation reporting on the progress for the South Slope Vision Plan. Over the next few months, staff will revise this plan with additional input. Maps and Resources Check out this folder will several maps to see details. The South Slope Visioning Plan The South Slope Visioning Plan covers some of the commercial areas some of downtown, but not the nearby residential areas. Coxe Avenue, Asheland Avenue and S. Lexington are the main north-south streets in the area. The plan will also includes parts of McDowell and Biltmore Avenues. Lee Walker Heights – which already went through a planning process separately – in also in the area. The Vision Plan will not re-plan Lee Walker Heights, but will look at the connections for cars, pedestrians, bikers for everywhere in the area. The plan will answer questions such as these: How tall should buildings be in the area? How can we make streets better for everyone? (Sidewalks, benches, bike lanes, trees) Are there places for public gathering spaces? What businesses should we try to encourage in the area? Where can we put future housing? What infrastructure needs to be put in place (Water lines, sewer, high speed data lines)? How can we honor the history of this area today? What needs to be preserved? How can we support business owners – current and future? Why is it called the South Slope? The City of Asheville took the name of South Slope that has been coined by the businesses in one part of this area. However, it is clear that this is a part of the larger, historical Southside community. During this process, staff will be taking input on the name and it may evolve during this process. Is the City planning on redeveloping property in this area? The majority of the land in this area is privately owned. There are city owned parcels – on Asheland Avenue, and nearby on South Charlotte Street, that the City Council has directed staff to look at for affordable housing, and possibly mixed use. The City has an option on the former Matthews Ford site that includes an easement for the current Lee-Walker Heights redevelopment plan. The plan being developed for the South Slope will provide opportunities for folks to give input what they would like to see in general for the whole area. Get Involved Your community representatives on the South Slope Advisory committee are: Greg Benton, NC-DOT Brent Campbell, Downtown Commission Jon Creighton, Buncombe County Brian DeWine, Asheville Tourists Craig Jeffries, Asheville Downtown Association Pat Kappes, Explore Asheville CVB Jon Kemske, Downtown Asheville Residential Neighbors (DARN) Jael Rattigan, SS Neighborhood Assn., French Broad Chocolate Lounge Crystal Reid, Lee Walker Heights Meghan Rogers, Asheville Downtown Association Kendra Turner, Asheville Brewers Alliance Austin Tyler /Sonya Greck, Mission Hospital Jason Walls, Duke Progress Tobias Weas, Downtown Commission Troy Wilson, NC-DOT Contact Information Sasha Vrtunski Urban Planner and South Slope Project Manager 828-259-5560 Related Services MWSBE Certification Find information to register for certification as a Minority, Woman, and/or Small Business Enterprise (MWSBE) with the City of Asheville. Business Inclusion The Business Inclusion Office for the City of Asheville actively seeks to identify minority and women-owned businesses for an opportunity to participate as providers of goods and services to the city. Apply for a commercial film or photography permit Information about commercial filming and photography work involving city-owned property, sidewalks, streets, and parks. Apply for a special event or festival permit Information about hosting an event on city-owned property, sidewalks, streets and parks. Find cold weather emergency shelter When extreme cold weather is expected, the Asheville Homeless Coalition issues a Code Purple Alert. Participating homeless shelters voluntarily add space beyond their normal capacity to keep as many people as possible out of the cold. To find out when Code Purple is in effect, visit the Homeless Coalition’s Code [...] Learn about large-scale development Keep up to date on current projects and applications. Explore city data Public datasets and maps are available on the open data portal at data.ashevillenc.gov. Schedule a mandatory Technical Review Committee pre-application meeting Schedule your required pre-application meeting for Level II, Level III, Conditional Zoning and Major Subdivision reviews. Apply for a homestay permit Apply for a new homestay permit or apply to renew your existing permit. Look up information about a permit Use online tools to look up information about permits Check whether your address is within city limits Search to see if it is within the City of Asheville's permitting jurisdiction. Find what permits and licenses you need for your business Use Asheville's Open for Business wizard to find out what permits and licenses you will need and an estimate of permit fees. More Related Services South Slope News Homelessness: How our whole community wins when we invest in ending homelessness Posted on September 27, 2021 by Polly McDaniel Read Part 1 and Part 2 of our series on homelessness solutions in Asheville. Homelessness issues in Asheville are long-standing and complex. Right now, the City of Asheville has an unprecedented level of resources available to help end chronic homlessness and build the homeless service system we need to best [...] City of Asheville’s Business Inclusion Office launches AVL Pathways to Grow training program Posted on September 7, 2021September 7, 2021 by Angelica Driver The City of Asheville’s Business Inclusion Office is excited to announce a new training program for local small businesses, AVL Pathways to Grow. The training program is geared towards helping women and small business owners of color to grow and scale up their businesses. AVL Pathways to Grow is a collaboration between the City’s Business Inclusion [...] Share your feedback on ‘AVL Shares Space’ outdoor expansion initiatives Posted on September 3, 2021 by Polly McDaniel The City of Asheville is seeking public feedback on temporary initiatives launched in the spring of 2020 to support safe business operations and customer access during COVID-19. These initiatives have enabled over 100 businesses and organizations in Asheville to quickly expand outdoors into adjacent public spaces and parking lots. Take the survey here. The [...] More South Slope News
MWSBE Certification Find information to register for certification as a Minority, Woman, and/or Small Business Enterprise (MWSBE) with the City of Asheville.
Business Inclusion The Business Inclusion Office for the City of Asheville actively seeks to identify minority and women-owned businesses for an opportunity to participate as providers of goods and services to the city.
Apply for a commercial film or photography permit Information about commercial filming and photography work involving city-owned property, sidewalks, streets, and parks.
Apply for a special event or festival permit Information about hosting an event on city-owned property, sidewalks, streets and parks.
Find cold weather emergency shelter When extreme cold weather is expected, the Asheville Homeless Coalition issues a Code Purple Alert. Participating homeless shelters voluntarily add space beyond their normal capacity to keep as many people as possible out of the cold. To find out when Code Purple is in effect, visit the Homeless Coalition’s Code [...]
Explore city data Public datasets and maps are available on the open data portal at data.ashevillenc.gov.
Schedule a mandatory Technical Review Committee pre-application meeting Schedule your required pre-application meeting for Level II, Level III, Conditional Zoning and Major Subdivision reviews.
Check whether your address is within city limits Search to see if it is within the City of Asheville's permitting jurisdiction.
Find what permits and licenses you need for your business Use Asheville's Open for Business wizard to find out what permits and licenses you will need and an estimate of permit fees.
Homelessness: How our whole community wins when we invest in ending homelessness Posted on September 27, 2021 by Polly McDaniel Read Part 1 and Part 2 of our series on homelessness solutions in Asheville. Homelessness issues in Asheville are long-standing and complex. Right now, the City of Asheville has an unprecedented level of resources available to help end chronic homlessness and build the homeless service system we need to best [...]
City of Asheville’s Business Inclusion Office launches AVL Pathways to Grow training program Posted on September 7, 2021September 7, 2021 by Angelica Driver The City of Asheville’s Business Inclusion Office is excited to announce a new training program for local small businesses, AVL Pathways to Grow. The training program is geared towards helping women and small business owners of color to grow and scale up their businesses. AVL Pathways to Grow is a collaboration between the City’s Business Inclusion [...]
Share your feedback on ‘AVL Shares Space’ outdoor expansion initiatives Posted on September 3, 2021 by Polly McDaniel The City of Asheville is seeking public feedback on temporary initiatives launched in the spring of 2020 to support safe business operations and customer access during COVID-19. These initiatives have enabled over 100 businesses and organizations in Asheville to quickly expand outdoors into adjacent public spaces and parking lots. Take the survey here. The [...]