First Asheville downtown master plan in over 80 years!

Asheville's City Council is looking for residents' opinions and ideas about what downtown should look like. This isn't just a simple poll of the people that's going to sit on a shelf. This is a serious planning procedure that's part of paying the Goody Clancy planning firm of Boston $170,000 to create the first real plan for downtown in 80 years.

Let's hear it for Asheville! This plan would guide downtown's growth to preserve it's character and prevent it from losing the charm that's attracting people here in the first place. The first of seven public meetings will be held tonight from 6 to 8:30 at the Civic Center.

When you drive through parts of downtown it's hard not to be distracted by all the building - but you need to be careful, too. A construction worker walked backwards into a main street I was driving on the other day, completely oblivious to traffic.

If only they would try to use styles that fit in with the historic feel. If only they would use green, sustainable building techniques and materials. Well, maybe they will put that into the plan!

Just today there was a letter to the editor from someone who left San Diego after watching it sell out it's character for profit. Then they moved on to Prescott, AZ where they watched the exact same thing happen. He warns us that Asheville is a nice town right now, but we'd better be careful. Here's our chance!

The front page article of today's Asheville Citizen-Times tells about the new master plan and explains the need in light of the huge surge in development. In the past three years the value of project reviewed for downtown has been over $500 million! That's more than all the downtown projects in the last 100 years. Even the Asheville Mall, on 60 acres, is only valued at $85 million. Lots of property taxes. The new plan's cost will be well worth it.

Downtown master plan meetings will be held on May 15, 30, 31, June 1, 12 and the final draft plan presentation will be in August or September for feedback. For more information about the plan and meetings contact Sasha, Vrtunski at 828-232-4599 or svrtunski@ashevillenc.gov .

Disclaimer: Opinions in these blogs are those of an individual, not the Asheville Board of REALTORS(R).