The state of our Asheville

A frank, honest discussion about the state of our city, following the mayor’s Oct. 1 “TED talk” presentation on where Asheville’s going.

Above: skyline of downtown looking toward the Flat Iron building, photo by Max Cooper

Concluding thoughts, Oct. 5:

I’m awed. Since the original post went up Tuesday, we’ve seen an outpouring of interesting perspectives from around the city on what the state of Asheville — our Asheville — actually is, and great discussions ensue on social media, via email and even in local homes and out on the town.

Below is the original post and a roundup of the many interesting perspectives we received. As the state of the city address is an annual event, I’d also like to see this kind of discussion about the state of Asheville become an annual occasion too. One of the best things our city has going for it is that a lot of people are sincerely thinking about where it’s going, its identity and what might happen to it. More importantly, they care about the outcome. That’s a source of considerable power.

Finally, if you like this kind of discussion and reporting, remember that the Blade is entirely supported by its readers and consider making a donation to help us keep the lights on and do more.

Thank you all.

Original post, Sept. 30:

Tomorrow, at noon, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer will take the stage at the U.S. Cellular Center banquet hall to address the public (or the attendees, at least) on the state of the city. According to the official announcement, Manheimer “will focus on Asheville’s progress as well as themes and priorities for the future.”

At last week’s Asheville City Council meeting, the mayor, now heading toward the close of her first year in office, promised that it will be “more like a TED talk” than a traditional speech.

Last year, the state of the city speech came in February (these annual speeches have happened at different times over the years) and then-Mayor Terry Bellamy spoke at City Hall during the evening. She used that speech to focus on economic development, and to drop the announcement that she wouldn’t run for a third term. Now the format’s shifted from a speech at the seat of local government to a lunch presentation. While open to the public, the city asked attendees to notify them by Sept. 19, because “seating is limited.”

It’s worth taking a moment to ask what the state of the city is for most of us who live here. One of the major points of the Asheville Blade is that the reality of our city must be a topic for real discussion and debate. One of our first columns asked what a city for the rest of us would look like. We’ve tackled low wages, lingering segregation, why many feel they have to leave and our city’s illusions about itself.

For my take, I’d say that Asheville’s certainly a rapidly-changing city. The optimist in me would say that it’s a city with a great deal of untapped power.

I’d add that it is also a very divided city. For the people on the wrong side of that divide it’s a struggling city. If it’s a city that has anything resembling a future — at least for most of us living here – remains an open question. I have hope.

So, readers, what is the state of our city? What are you seeing? Email us or weigh in on social media. I’m interested to hear your thoughts.

UPDATE, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30: We’ve got our first two perspectives in, both from some of the Facebook discussions going on around this piece. I’d like to thank everyone weighing in on this for their thoughts.

The first, from Ashevillian Colin Holloway:

I call myself an Asheville unicorn because I went to school here, found a good, non-service industry job right out of college (took 6 months but that’s not nearly as bad as some other folks) and was able to build a career here. I dislike our lack of industry beyond tourism (though craft beer is definitely out best industry, I have no numbers as to how many folks that it employs). 

It leaves me feeling like our city doesn’t have much substance to be proud of. Tourism is an industry built on imagery and salesmanship and does little to generate any sort of civic pride of the sort “Look at what our community can do!”

I worry that our council will blindly continue to try to incentivize hotels and developers that do nothing to highlight or support the funk and soul that makes this town a unique place to live. With the hotel taxes much lower than in comparable places, we allow revenue we desperately need to escape from the people best able to afford it and then turn around and spend tax payer money on developers who build “workforce” units that are only “affordable” because of unhelpful metrics based on a number that is higher than the median income in our region. 

Basically if I had to sum it up, I would say my relationship with Asheville (city government) is somewhat like my relationship with the Democratic party. On paper I like what they stand for and I hold many of those same values dear. The execution however, is sorely lacking and entirely too much focus is given to the upper socioeconomic classes that don’t need help because they’re already benefiting from policies that hurt the lower income individuals and families.

I would love to see a focus on housing that is affordable in reality, spending more of our downtown real estate on things the community can enjoy (dog parks, green spaces, a space for food trucks, even the odd parking lot.) rather than yet another hotel that will do very little to provide our community with the solid, productive careers so many of our younger generations desperately need and just be another waste of resources and space.

Then there’s this perspective from Roger Hartley, professor of political science and public affairs at Western Carolina University:

Asheville is experiencing a post recession period of growth that is likely to be unprecedented and that will forever alter our city . This is going to happen rapidly and with great political and economic momentum and force.

At the same time the negative impact of gentrification, high rents pushed by hotels, expensive mixed use development, and high priced condos have the potential to drive out local business in and our Love Asheville, artsy culture that makes us different than Gatlinburg. Affordable housing is one issue but also racial and economic justice as our city becomes more diverse.

A city dependent on growth for revenue will exacerbate this with well-intentioned leaders as alchemists that try to turn growth into revenue to pay for good works. But growth will demand that revenue right back instead.

The state of the city is at a critical juncture with prosperity that can leave many behind and worse off. What is approved now will change the face of us for generations. We must slow down, plan, regulate, redistribute and insure that we consider the damage of our actions now…rather than fixing later when too late.

The market will not do that for us.

UPDATE, 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1:

Here’s two more perspectives on the state of our city. The first is from local historian, activist and chair of the Southside Advisory Board Priscilla Ndiaye:

Multiple perspectives, minimal diversity and inclusion; lack of knowledge, much confusion, and discouragement for some; lost/unrecognized history – more focus on infrastructure and grant dollars; less focus on humanity and sustainability for the majority — in the name of progress — all entwined as spiders in a web and any way you touch it, it trembles.

And here’s a perspective on city policy from Council member Cecil Bothwell, including responding to some of the criticisms of local government’s actions above:

Asheville is growing in step with the rest of the planet.  Maybe we attract a few more people when we top one list or another, but mainly we grow with the world.

If you really oppose growth, stop making babies.

That said, here’s my take on city policy.

The city does not preferentially boost hotel projects. The 51 Biltmore thing was a stupid exception to the norm. Overall, city policy is aimed at funding “affordable” housing. When Public Interest Projects suckered City Council into approval of its extortionist price for 51 Biltmore, a promise of affordable housing was part of the bait. They lied.

Affordability downtown is constrained by annexation law. People live NEAR Asheville (or any city) to avail themselves of city benefits. So cities grow. In most cities annexation is voluntary, with neighborhoods opting to join a city for the theoretical  benefits, often including lower water rates.

Unfortunately, N.C. has prevented Asheville from charging differential rates inside and outside the city.

Then the Republican-led legislature banned both voluntary and involuntary annexation. (Oddly eliminating restaurant/bar applications – since state law requires city zoning for ABC permits.)

Okay that was a sidebar.

But, the bottom line is that city government can do almost nothing to ensure “affordable” housing.
We do what we can, with federal dollars. But not much else.

UPDATE, 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1:

Manheimer gave her speech earlier this afternoon. I wrote a report for Carolina Public Press and will post a link as soon as the piece is up. We also have two additional perspectives on the state of our city and I’ll post some more as we receive them.

The first is this poem from reader John Haldane:

Hope and despair
Music in the air
Crowded streets
Rhythmic beats
But no Bele Chere.

Pritchard Park
After dark
Pack Square
Even there
No place to park

Great food
Mountain mood
Awesome art
Food carts
It’s all good

Asheville grows
Change flows

And then there’s this perspective from local activist Andrew LaFiosca:

I would love to be able to attend this “public” speech. The juncture that this city faces, is happening right now, and whatever road it chooses, there may not be an option of turning back, at least not without walking on the backs of those that support this city’s industry or dream of building a sustainable life here.

I’d really love to ask the mayor how her and city council plan to promote the economic growth that they’re so narrowly focused on in the way of tourism, and be able to maintain a workforce to sustain it. I’d love to ask how they plan on making a city that supports local business, as Asheville often pretends to do, yet continues to levy heavier taxes on downtown businesses. I’d love to know what their grand plan is for this city, one with workers making substantially less than others in NC, yet face a housing crisis (yes I used the word “crisis”), and a exponentially higher cost of living. I’d love to know why myself and many other voters come secondary to big developers, big law firms (I’ll give you one guess as to which one), and hotel conglomerates. I’d love to ask Cecil why his reaction to all of this was “there’s nothing we can do,” and to “stop making babies,” if we’re against growth.

Finally, I’d love our city to start asking what kind of economic growth do we want, how can we continue to grow without trampling the people that got us this far, and when can we start putting some accountability back into local politics.

We will have to continue to grow with the state, the nation, and the world. We will always have to deal with some state and federal restrictions that are less than sensical or ideal. These facts are unavoidable. The real question is: do we want to represent corporate interest and use the backs of the disenfranchised as steps so a small few can continue to climb or do we want to be a shining example of sustainability and a city that can prosper and grow without doing it at the expense of its own people?

UPDATE, 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 2:

Here’s more on the mayor’s presentation yesterday, from my report over at Carolina Public Press:

Asheville faces difficulties in raising enough revenue to meet its challenges, but Mayor Esther Manheimer said she believes that by making partnerships, pouring efforts into “innovation districts” and engaging in careful planning, the city can attract enough private investment to overcome them.

That was what Manheimer laid out Wednesday afternoon in her first State of the City address before a crowd of about 70 people in the U.S. Cellular Center ballroom.

“Metropolitan areas work as networks,” Manheimer said. “Slow movement and political stagnation at the federal and state levels is putting more responsibility on cities to get things done and provide the infrastructure necessary to do business.”

But with limited resources, she added, that meant that a city’s network — the nonprofits, other governments and the private sector in its area — were more important than ever to partner with.

“Collaboration is the name of the game,” she said. “Asheville has a strong, functioning network.”

Partly because of that collaboration, she asserted, Asheville’s “been lucky to enjoy a robust economy and low unemployment, but we still have challenges.

Manheimer also emphasized the importance of “innovation districts” that she believes will spur greater prosperity in Asheville:

“This is an emerging term for cities,” Manheimer said. “The city of Asheville hopes to capture the vision of the people while creating a plan to realize the potential of these innovation districts.”

The city “stands ready to invest” in improved infrastructure to help the process, she added, with the result of preparing “a palette ready for private investment” in those areas. To that end, the city was trying to prepare plans for the other two “innovation districts” and “engage their networks” to create these plans, including redeveloping public housing, she said.

And here’s another perspective on the state of our city from Heather Seltzer, a volunteer with Code for Asheville and a local activist:

The current state of Asheville is that we are booming. New cash is pouring into our city and aligning well with established structures. This is the power that is birthed by the ability to write big checks, and this is the power that wields against the community’s need to protect its self-interests. It is power’s nature. The property owner wants to be sure they retain their market value. The business owner wants to succeed. Civic support for a quick return on investment is familiar trend in civic policy because it is an measurable reflection of “growth,” it increases our tax base.

However, while those numbers rise, workers living in poverty feels like a growing epidemic.

This is a harsh reality that is not being adequately addressed. We, fellow citizens, need to start having difficult conversations with our leaders.

The time is now to ask for no more parking garages. No more car-focused or lawn-saving zoning regulations that limit infill possibilities. No more wasteful spending trying to vanilla our town for the vocal minority. Let’s begin to move more money towards projects that build a sustainable future for our city: sidewalks, parks, bike lanes and mass transit. Let’s do everything possible to make affordable housing a reality.

And.

A living wage ordinance is possible. It is our responsibility as citizens to organize and vote for the leaders who will make it happen.

This is not a far-fetched dream, Asheville. We have an accessible council and a growing progressive movement that is bringing pragmatic solutions, instead of just angry words, to the forum. This is the way we can equalize the distribution of power and help make this city the model city it is striving to be.

Also, over at Ashvegas, Jason Sandford highlights this discussion with the following introduction:

There’s a conversation happening right now, one about the state of Asheville. It is a conversation that is taking place across the city, in nonprofit meeting rooms, at brewery tasting rooms and over backyard bonfires. For me, it boils down to this: is Asheville a land of prosperity or a place that keeps many at the edge of poverty?

Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer added to the conversation on Wednesday with her “state of the city” address. Her assessment was mostly positive, according to an Asheville Citizen-Times report, and pointed to the potential of new areas of growth to boost the city. The challenges she noted were challenges for the entity of city government to continue to provide services and grow.

But Manheimer’s speech doesn’t get to the human level of what’s really happening in Asheville.

UPDATE, 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3:

Here’s a perspective from Jen Bowen, a local arts activist and member of the city’s Public Arts and Cultural Commission:

I found it interesting that the Chamber/TDA/City changed the tagline in an effort to sway people between 25-55 with incomes of $75,000 plus.The powers that be are turning away from soliciting the retirement crowd (who are primarily looking to snowbird or vacation here for 3-5 months a year so the sales tax they contribute is far less), but I can count on a single hand the number of my peers who make $75,000 plus in our city — even as a family.

A couple quick facts:  (based on 2012 census data)

Males have a median income of $30,463

Females have a median income of $23,488   (disgraceful)

Median family income is $42,333
— that’s still over $30K under what the chamber is trying to target our for outside populations.

But this is what is truly shocking:

Persons below poverty level 20.2 percent

One in five people below the poverty level.

And we want to continue focusing our efforts on being a playground for the rich?We are also seeing an average of 1,400 new people moving here every year since 2000.

We have more breweries, more hotels, more restaurants – but what of substance are we adding for economic infrastructure for the people who work and live here?

We should petition that everyone receive a fair minimum living wage of $13/hr including all restaurant, service and hotel employees.

Give us the opportunity to have a city worth exploiting by having healthy vibrant communities worth celebrating.

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