There’s a joke going around that the newly-elected members of Asheville City Council should push for an official city bird.
The crane.
Those lifting machines (not the bird) are ubiquitous, busily transforming the city’s skyline as Asheville experiences a wave of stunning growth.
We’re on the move. The question is, where are we going?
As development booms, it’s easy to forget that our economy isn’t robust – or even stable – for everyone. Asheville has shifted to an economy that relies heavily on tourism and hospitality, industries without high salaries.
Our middle class has gotten lost, and Asheville proves unaffordable for many. So how do we support and expand the middle class? How do we take charge of our future to make this a city for everyone?
These are among the many questions we hope to address Tuesday night in a forum capping off our 7-week series examining the growing pains and booming successes Asheville has seen over the last half century.
The economic benefits of Asheville’s staggering tourist traffic are clear. A report on the CVB website on the economic impact of tourism in Buncombe County, states 24,856 jobs “were sustained by visitors to Asheville in 2014 with total income of $714 million.”
Cities our size across the country would kill to feel that kind of job numbers pains.
But for so many in Buncombe County, that theoretical success doesn’t guarantee a basic quality of life – or even access to it.
Even if all the policy recommendations under consideration by Asheville officials to alleviate the housing shortage go through, those strategies would yield just 2,800 new units by 2022. That’s one-half the 5,600 units the city needs now.
We are confident Asheville has the collective knowledge to lead the country in finding solutions.
That’s why on Tuesday, Nov. 10 in the Forum room in Diana Wortham Theatre, 2 S. Pack Square in Asheville, we’ll be hosting an event to explore our future.
Each of our panelists fills a critical piece of the puzzle that lies ahead.
Former Mayor Terry Bellamy, currently an outreach coordinator for the Asheville Housing Authority, has one of the broadest perspectives on Asheville’s rapid growth, paired with a long history of advocating for affordable housing for every citizen.
Jack Cecil, a commercial and residential developer and CEO of Biltmore Farms, also belongs to one of Asheville’s oldest and most influential families, one that largely shaped the city we live in today.
John McKibbon, developer and CEO of the McKibbon Hotel Group, has been at the forefront of Asheville’s booming tourism industry, providing jobs and income across the city.
Dr. Mai Thi Nguyen, Associate Professor at UNC Chapel Hill’s department of regional and city planning, is a leading expert in housing policy, community development, economic development, and urban growth phenomena.
Pastor Micheal Woods, executive director of WNC Rescue Ministries shelter downtown, works on the front lines every day in downtown’s largest homeless shelter, bursting at the seams with families in need.
Our panelists will address the universal economic issues that face any rapidly-growing city, but in a town where buskers are as integral to our city’s identity as our skyline, the community is rightfully demanding more than a one-size economic plan to shape our future.
We hope you’ll join us to be a part of that conversation.
IF YOU GO
What: Growing Asheville For All Forum
Where: Diana Wortham Theater, 2 South Pack Square, Asheville
When: 6 – 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10
Cost: Free and open to the public
More: Visit Citizen-Times.com/ashevillegrowth or email Casey Blake at cblake@citizen-times.com
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