City of Asheville calls for public input on South Slope Visioning Plan

From the City of Asheville:

City of Asheville South Slope Visioning to include online survey, design workshop and open office hours

 The City of Asheville is undertaking a South Slope Visioning process, and residents are invited to participate! Led by the City of Asheville with participation by the community and South Slope business stakeholders, this planning process is designed to develop a long-term vision for the 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;

• 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; and

• Ensure the safety of all who work, live and visit the district.

Community input: in person and online

In November, the South Slope Visioning Team held an open house at the City’s South Slope headquarters at The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave. To add input, the City is launching an online survey on Open City Hall Asheville.

The survey looks at South Slope transportation preferences, what kind of businesses people would like to see in the area, safety and development. It can be taken on a mobile phone, desktop computer or a tablet.

In additional to online input, residents can take part in person as well. The South Slope Visioning process will community meetings as well as open office hours during which residents can drop in to share ideas and discuss perspectives. The meetings will discuss the history of the neighborhood as well as design options that neighbors would like to see in the area. Here’s the schedule:

• Design Workshop: 9:30 a.m. to noon Dec. 9 at The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave. This will be a charrette-style discussion about the history of the neighborhood and design options as the area grows and develops.

• Open Office hours, 207 Coxe Ave.: The studio is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Thursday and Friday, December through January.

Come get information and share your ideas!

How input will be used

Residents’ input will be taken into consideration as staff draft a South Slope plan; this plan 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.

Want more information?

Visit ashevillenc.gov/SouthSlope. Or contact South Slope Project Manager Sasha Vrtunski at svrtunski@ashevillenc.gov or 828-259-5560.