As recently as 15 years ago you could walk down the deserted sidewalks of downtown, passing in front of empty storefronts covered in plywood. Today downtown is, as it should be, the vibrant heart of our region. It is not a coincidence that the local economy, after decades of struggle, has finally shown some signs of life as downtown has been revitalized. A healthy downtown reduces the local tax burden everywhere else in the city and county, it draws jobs and tourism to our area, it contains the largest portion of our shared history and it is our best opportunity to create a level of sustainability that goes beyond lip service. If any of these matter to you then downtown matters to you.

With downtown’s resurgence, in recent years the Downtown Commission has seen a huge increase in the size and number of proposed projects. In the last three years alone the total value of new projects presented to the commission for review has substantially exceeded the value of all buildings built downtown in the previous 100 years. Most of the existing planning tools used to review these projects were conceived some years ago at a time when the pace of development was much slower and projects smaller.

Balancing act

There has been a rising level of community concern about balancing the benefits and the challenges of downtown growth. There are huge benefits to local taxpayers from dense development, with one acre of densely-developed downtown capable of contributing more local taxes than the 60 acre-plus Asheville Mall or hundreds of acres of single-family residences. But fiscal benefits need to be balanced with appropriate respect for our historic buildings and the downtown pedestrian experience. Local businesses are a large part of downtown’s appeal but they need affordable space and access to parking. There are large environmental benefits from dense development as an alternative to sprawl, with studies showing that a suburban family relocated to downtown generates only a fraction of the environmental impact and greenhouse gases of a family locating in a new suburban subdivision. But there is also a strong desire for more downtown green space and the protection of the public’s views of the surrounding mountains.

Redesigning a vision

The increasing pace of both change and debate suggested that it was past time for the community to revisit its vision for downtown. Recognizing the challenges and opportunities downtown presents, City Council directed the Downtown Commission to work with experienced consultants to develop a new master plan that reflects both the authentic voice of our entire local community and the best thinking available nationally on creating and preserving great urban places. Given the hundreds who have turned out for the meetings so far it is clear that the downtown master-planning process has struck a responsive chord.

A critical series of public meetings and workshops are being held today and Saturday. Check the city’s Web site, www.ashevillenc.gov/downtownmasterplan, for details and make time to participate. Advise your friends and acquaintances to do the same. Our nationally recognized planning team needs to hear your ideas and you will benefit from others’ perspectives and an enhanced appreciation for the complex interrelationships that make our downtown work. If you can’t be present, e-mail your comments to: downtownmasterplan@ashevillenc.gov.

Time for listening

We have a tremendous opportunity to come together to talk and to listen and to learn from each other. On occasion in the past we’ve had problems, not with a lack of time or passion, but rather with some people being willing to spend their time and passion only by storming the chambers of government at the 11th hour, having skipped the earlier public conversations. Such ambushing of the results of open public processes is disrespectful of all the people who give of their time to take part. As we go forward, the better practice will be to avoid the unintentional encouragement of this behavior.

Let’s not let it happen. We’ve hired an impressively strong planning team. Let’s respect the community’s commitment of money and each other’s commitment of time. Let’s join our elected representatives in a fair and thoughtful planning process. Then let’s encourage them to exercise their best judgment to enact and implement the results — not necessarily as a rubber stamp — but with any modest changes informed by their presence in the process and their appreciation for the diverse voices, efforts and expertise that went into creating a new downtown master plan. Because downtown matters.

An attorney, Pat Whalen is currently chairman of the Downtown Commission. He has been president of Public Interest Projects for 17 years and lives in Asheville.