Power washers, graffiti-removal specialists and a pair of ambassadors will be part of a new initiative in downtown Asheville that city leaders hope will help make the area more attractive.
Last June, the Asheville City Council established a new Business Improvement District, or BID. Through tax increases on downtown homes and businesses, the new tax district is expected to bring an estimated $1.2 million, which will be used for enhanced cleaning, safety and hospitality services and beautification in downtown Asheville.
At last night’s meeting, council members selected a partnership of contractors to manage BID-related services. Leaders voted 5-1 to award the three-year contract to Asheville Downtown Improvement District (ADID), a partnership between the Asheville Downtown Association, the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and a California based-contractor Nexstreet. Council member Sage Turner was absent; council member Kim Roney was the sole vote against.
Council member Maggie Ullman celebrated the BID’s progress, saying it will be “really helpful.”
“We're facing real economic downturn after Helene and an agency focused just on downtown – now's a great time for it,” she said.
What does the contract include?
One of the main elements of the BID includes a team of workers who will be tasked with keeping downtown Asheville clean and safe. The roles include:
- Supervisor: $23-25/hour
- Ambassador I: $18-20/hour
- Ambassador II: $20.50-$22/hour
- Power Washer: $20.50-22/hour
- Painting/Graffiti Specialist: $20.50-22/hour
As of January, the Living Wage in Asheville is $23.15 per hour.
These workers will be on duty from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Hayden Plemmons, the Executive Director of the Asheville Downtown Association, said Nexstreet will hire and train employees, prioritizing applicants who have experienced homelessness or poverty.
Based on the terms of the services agreement, City Attorney Brad Branham said, City Council can stop working with ADID at any time if the group isn’t managing the program to the city’s standards. City Council also has the annual opportunity to reduce the special tax district’s rate to zero, effectively ending it.
City Council members will vote on an oversight or steering committee, based on recommendations from ADID. The committee will include:
- 4 Commercial Property Owners
- 4 Business Renters
- 3 Residential Property Owners
- 3 Residential Renters
- 1 Representative from The Block
- 1 Representative from the Continuum of Care
- 1 At-Large Representative
On-the-ground BID services are expected to begin in April in downtown – and be fully up and running by June. In late spring, ADID will provide a report to city council on the program’s launch.
Some community members remain skeptical
Since the BID was proposed last spring, some community members have worried about whether BID-funded ambassadors would be properly equipped to respond to homelessness, especially people in the throes of a mental health crisis. Others expressed concern an unelected board would manage taxpayer funds.
Asheville resident Nicole Lopez was one of five to speak against the plan at last night’s meeting.
Lopez took issue with the timing of the contract decision in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Asheville's request for proposals, she argued, was open while the city was still recovering from the storm and she felt some local organizations lost out on a chance to apply.
“I think we would only have stronger proposals for this big change to downtown, if we were to allow more time and participation from those who are most impacted and those who are doing this type of relief work,” she said.
The city's deadline for proposals from interested contractors was extended by two weeks due to the storm. Only one other proposal was received.
Patrick Conant said he disagrees with ADID nominating steering committee members.
“City council should just open applications, see who applies, and choose the best candidates. I don't think we really need the steering committee to self-select the people that are able to serve on it,” he said.
Roney – who has previously been critical of the BID and voted against establishing the new tax district downtown – said she sees it as “fundamentally the wrong tool” for the issues facing the area.
“It doesn't secure living wages,” she said. “It doesn't deploy the qualified professionals trained in mental health, behavioral health, homeless response, and opioid poisoning – the real issues that still require real funding and uniquely qualified professionals.”
Other tidbits:
- Council approved $624,000 in federal funding that will go to the county’s rental assistance program and a $325,000 agreement with Highland Brewing Company to create temporary public access through its parking lot to the Gashes Creek Neighborhood and WNC Nature Center. Damage to nearby roads and bridges from Helene has created traffic workarounds, according to the city staff’s report to council members.
- A vote that would change the Unified Development Ordinance was postponed until the council's Jan. 28 meeting. As proposed, the zoning update would mandate that any new construction or substantial rebuild in a floodplain must be built two feet above the city’s base flood elevation.
Every second and fourth Tuesday, Asheville City Council meets at the Council Chamber on the 2nd Floor of City Hall, 70 Court Plaza, beginning at 5 p.m. See the full recording of the Jan. 14 meeting and the agenda.