The City of Asheville is studying the future of the Biltmore Avenue and McDowell Street corridors. The City is launching a survey to gather input from residents and other stakeholders that will inform recommendations for transportation improvements to the corridors. These corridors connect downtown Asheville and Biltmore Village — two very walkable areas with a variety of land uses and destinations.
Both roadways are maintained by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). The City of Asheville is working with the NCDOT, a consulting team and other agencies to review a range of potential transportation improvements along Biltmore Avenue and McDowell Street.
The study area contains many community destinations, including A-B Tech and Mission Hospital. At the north of the study corridor is the South Slope neighborhood with its breweries, art galleries and multi-family residential developments as well as McCormick Field and Lee Walker Heights residential development. . At the southern end of the corridor is Biltmore Village.
Several existing area plans that touch on Biltmore Avenue and the surrounding study area include Asheville in Motion and the Asheville Transit Master Plan. Major themes found across existing plans include:
- Encouraging increased development density and affordable housing along the corridors.
- Improving transit service along Biltmore Avenue to accommodate development and enhance multimodal access to major employment centers.
- Increasing bicycle and pedestrian connectivity and safety.
This study will consider a range of solutions and make recommendations for improvements to accommodate all transportation users including motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit riders. The study is expected to conclude in the summer of 2021.
As part of public and stakeholder outreach for the study, the study team is conducting a public input survey. Please take the survey here and help answer a few questions to inform the study.