No hotel approval applications will go before City Council for a year, under a hotel moratorium approved by Council at their Sept. 24 meeting. City staff will use this time to work with the Urban Land Institute Charlotte on a planning process to include two community engagement sessions, analysis of the hotel industry, assessment of impacts, [...]
The Haywood Streetscape Improvement project continues to move forward. This project includes sidewalk rehabilitation, street resurfacing, stormwater improvements, sanitary sewer improvements, and the sourcing, siting and installation of street amenities. An informational meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Sept. 5 at the U.S. Cellular Center Banquet Hall (87 Haywood St., second floor) to share the [...]
At their Aug. 27 meeting, Asheville City Council authorized City staff to enter into a contract to create a design plan to redevelop City-owned properties at Haywood Street and Page Avenue. The services provided by the Nelson Byrd Woltz team will include architecture, landscape architecture, real estate analysis, community engagement, civil engineering, urban planning, including transportation [...]
Downtown Asheville is buzzing with activity. The streets and sidewalks provide space for everyone and everything — from buskers and outdoor dining to shoppers, construction activity and more. Since the City’s Downtown Master Plan was completed in 2009, there has been a lot of growth and increased activity downtown, including more demands [...]
A new temporary mural will soon be installed on the public stairwell connecting Battery Park and Wall Street. The project, set to start Monday evening, is being done through an agreement between the Asheville Downtown Association Foundation and the City of Asheville. The Asheville Downtown Association Foundation is funding and managing the installation and maintenance of [...]
Temporary uses and community programs will continue this spring and summer at 68 Haywood Street, a public gathering space across from the U.S. Cellular Center. This is an opportunity for craft fairs, food trucks and other special event organizers to set up in the heart of downtown. The future development site was made available for public [...]
Arras Hotel and Residences, currently under construction in downtown Asheville. The fall edition of the Asheville City Manager’s Development Forum will not happen this go-round, due to several scheduling conflicts. Staff expects to resume the popular community update on economic and development activity in the spring with our new City Manager Debra Campbell at the helm. Appointed by [...]
The City of Asheville wants to help residents stay informed about development projects by connecting residents to information about proposed projects as well as the review and approval process. The City has several online tools already available to help people find information about development projects, such as the City’s Technical Review Committee project map. To [...]
In response to feedback from downtown stakeholders about the need for increased resources to maintain a welcoming, safe downtown experience, the City of Asheville has launched a Community EMT Pilot Program. The vision is for this six-week pilot program to integrate the roles of public safety official and medical responder into one team. Under this pilot [...]
From food trucks to a play under the stars, temporary uses and events have continued this summer at City-owned property at 68 Haywood St. Soon a new temporary public art piece will be installed on a portion of the wall surrounding 68 Haywood — one that shows we’ve got spirit, creativity and we love Asheville! Public art [...]
Parking downtown can be a challenge, especially for Asheville service industry and retail workers. A survey by the Downtown Commission and Asheville Downtown Association showed that most employees of downtown businesses rely on driving to get to work, and that 64% of businesses would like to see more parking downtown. Survey respondents indicated that 40% of [...]
The 15-foot-high new public artwork by Beatrice Coron will be installed at 65 N. Lexington Ave. A thriving downtown Asheville street will become even more vibrant this year with the installation of a new piece of public art on Lexington Avenue. The City of Asheville is pleased to announce that, after a competitive process, a metal sculpture entitled Lexington Life [...]