People hustle to Downtown Asheville to see what funky and fun is like? Why throw a master plan into the mix and make it into Anytown, USA? Granny says the broth isn't ready yet? Too many bugs in it!
The Downtown Asheville Master Plan!
It's what folks have been waiting for....and it will be revealed on Thursday night at 7 in the Civic Center.
Many activists who wanted such a plan think that more waiting is necessary. It still ain't right, and our moms always told us to keep doing something til we got it right!
I just moved here in April. I had assumed that folks were working on this so-called Master Plan for years. My understanding is that it's just months. It's still a baby. Golly, we've been talking about I-26 for a couple decades. Most kids who were born when that topic was new in conversations are now in college. Those born when the advisory council on the Master Plan started meeting may not even be walking yet.
The brew is still raw. Let it simmer awhile. There are bugs in the current plan. They need to be cooked until they disappear into the broth, where they become nourishment and not grit in the teeth.
But for some reason, some folks sitting on the Master Plan advisory team want to put forth an image of consensus when they come before Ashevillians this coming Thursday. Those who had voiced the most diverse voices on the panel will come out speaking in agreement so the public will be impressed that it is a good plan. After all if they all love it, and approve of it, surely the common Joe Blow can!
But there is concern still lingering.
Where are the diverse voices of color?
What about other transportation issues (such as bike paths) other than just the shuttle bus?
Why must we have cameras on every corner?
What about the panhandlers? They're part of what makes Downtown Asheville what it is. Are folks trying to sanitize it? Maybe free sanitary facilities for those who can't afford to use those in restaurants need to be written into the plan.
Graffiti? Once more, some is good. It's primitive art, much like the drum circle.
The management team appointed to make decisions? Who would sit on this council? What accountability would it have to taxpayers?
Why make only downtown developments pay into this pot of funds that will be used to keep the area upbeat and pretty? Shouldn't folks who benefit from downtown but don't have a business down there also show some responsibility?
Where is there info on how much this will cost? Is it doable? Could this plan, if accepted by the City Council, change the unique, funky and eclectic character of downtown?
Are we trying to fix something that isn't broken?
Sometimes things can be too well planned, zapping life out of something that is spontaneous, fun and ever evolving. Isn't that what Asheville is supposed to be?
My impression is that this Master Plan was started with good intentions. Both leftist activists and developers agreed that there needed to be better controls. Thus a group composed of a splattering of such folks was put together with the blessings of the Downtown Asheville Commission, the Asheville City Council and the Downtown Design Center. Some $170,000 was put together to get the brilliant advice from a Boston consultancy.
From my perspective, many of the former activists got their pet projects put into the plan, but the developers and their allies won by getting less oversight from those put in office by voters.
The homeless will suffer, diversity will suffer, civil rights and privacy will suffer, small businesses will suffer and shoppers will be disappointed with a downtown just about like Anytown, USA, if this plan is approved as proposed with a unified pitch on Thursday night.
I say that the broth isn't ready yet. It needs more seasoning. Bring your salt, pepper and spices with you on Thursday night. Let's keep Downtown Asheville the great place it already is, even if there is a little graffiti here and there, or some trash in the gutter. Pick up the litter. Give art lessons to the aspiring artists, and let Downtown Asheville be what it is already.
Not perfect, but unique. That's enough for me. Let's let the Master Plan simmer a decade or two while we do what Ashevillians like to do...activate and use the power of people to make this town the best it can be.