Tomorrow kicks off a whole new year of AVLtoday headlines. In 2018, we’ve covered everything from our new City Manager and all of the new restaurants and businesses open in town, the I-26 connector project + so much more. So, what’s next for 2019?

We asked you to peer into your crystal ball and predict future local headlines you think you’ll read in AVLtoday in 2019 – and more than 30 of you gave us your predictions.

Here are a few of our favorite predictions for Asheville in 2019, submitted by you:

🔮 “On my wish list: A real Jewish deli in North Asheville.” – Karen K.

🔮 “Costco” – @wwhoilman

🔮 “Downtown will become a pedestrian and cyclist safe haven.” – Edwin A.

🔮 “Asheville will ban Single Use Plastic Bags.” – @AccomplishedTourist

See something that you also think could happen? Keep scrolling to read all 35 predictions.

More of your local headline predictions for 2019:

“Asheville will embark on a ‘Choose Civility’ project, fashioned after the one being implemented in Hartford County, MD and several other communities.” – Gil K.

“I would like to have food delivery in all of Buncombe County. We live 5 miles outside of every awesome delivery service area that Asheville offers. Yet we live 3 minutes off of New Leicester Hwy…” – Summer W.

“I have thought about this for a long time.

AVL will become the epicenter for a nation-wide economy changing labor movement that sees our service workers in restaurant, retail, lodging, and the lowest rungs of the healthcare industry gain union representation and wages and benefits and job longevity that are needed for our workforce to thrive and our economy to keep booming. The partnership between our craftsperson and entrepreneur and service classes will create new ways to make it work for all stakeholders, not just owners and shareholders.” – Sylvia O.

“Marijuana will be legal, and the town will have a smoky atmosphere.” – Craig K.

“Doggie daycare takes over government building and politicians look for new home as Asheville real estate boom continues.” – Barry S.

“A COSTCO in Weaverville or Woodfin.” – Craig W.

“Headline: Asheville makes a run at joining the top 10 cities for total number of breweries and may actually be number 1 in breweries per capita.” – Rick N.

“Future of Asheville: maybe there will be a real connector built to circumnavigate the 40-240-26 interstate nightmare, as has been discussed for literally the last 25 years.” – Julie M.

“Instead of an affordable retirement community with manufactured homes, Asheville should start several communities like that for starter uppers, people 35 or less.

As in these types of retirement communities (I live in one in Hendersonville where we purchased such a home for $80k), they wouldn’t own the land, but they would be able to purchase a nice manufactured home for a quarter of the cost that “stick builds” are going for. Equal opportunities for millennials. But an entire community dedicated to helping them out to get into the housing market.” – Elizabeth D.

“Another dream is for all businesses (esp tourist dependent ones) pay a living wage to all workers. Living wage in Asheville is way more than it used to be. $10/hr doesn’t cut it. $15/hr minimum and also have rent control.” – Elizabeth D.

“On my wish list: A real Jewish deli in North Asheville.” – Karen K.

“Asheville will ban plastic straws.” – Marsha S.

“Hopefully some greater city-wide initiative to connect Asheville proper to its surrounding communities which encourage more cross-community engagement.” – Christopher M.

“(Just b/c Melbourne Australia beat us to it is no reason not to get behind this)” – R.S.

“Teach all cashiers to not offer bags at the register – I always think they'd save a lot of wasted plastic just by having people ask for that bag. Better, of course, would be to just ban single use plastic in Asheville.” – Lynne H.

“1. Neighborhood side streets to have parking designated to ‘one side only’ to allow for cars and bikers to pass easily.

2. More focus on trash pick-up along the streets and highways and hope to ban plastic bags!” – Amy W.

“Many cities have a variety of thematic animals or statues that residents can paint (with constraints, of course) throughout the city as an attraction for residents and visitors. I think Asheville should entertain that too. Other cities have had cows, rhinos, etc. Perhaps we might have images of humans?” – Gil K.

“Affordable housing” – @petal.stem.root

“Costco” – @wwhoilman

“Greater diversity” – @abraca_dabra

“Good Mediterranean fast food” – @mjw805

“JJ Gray & MoFro Band” – @_michelle_prince_

“A great sushi restaurant!” – @dwennerc

“Lower prices” – @salamanderjelly

“Costco!” – @gumby_k

“An awesome playground near pack square park!” – @livinglocalavl

“Smart traffic lights to better control traffic congestion.” – @cmichael

“Downtown will be come a pedestrian and cyclist safe haven.” – Edwin A.

“A hotel/restaurant exclusively for bears will open in West Asheville” – @UnicornishHenofWNC

“I hope:

We continue to see tourism from all races and backgrounds. It's my opinion that there has been an increase in black tourists in the last few years, and I hope that trend continues. Sadly, this increase contrasts with the gentrification of most of the historically black neighborhoods in Asheville.
That the Asheville Grown Business Alliance grows faster than Explore Asheville Tourism Industry Partners (although I recognize the two are not mutually exclusive).
That everyone has a safe 2019.
Aston Park Tower gets worked on.
The Hilliard Hot Spot stays open!” – @kenilwort

“Asheville will ban Single Use Plastic Bags.” – @AccomplishedTourist

“Real estate will drop!!” – @DoggyDayEveryDay

“The East Asheville Library will be built quickly and nicely.” – @prettywithdreads

What do you think the new year will bring to Asheville? We love that some of these predictions – like the I-26 connector and funding for the East Asheville Library – are already on their way to becoming true, and we would love for others (like the city animal sculptures and the Jewish Deli) to make their way to our city.

No matter what 2019 brings, we’re excited to keep waking up every morning with you, and we look forward to giving you all the updates. If you didn’t get a chance to send us your predictions, let us know yours by replying to this email or telling us over on Facebook or Instagram.

Happy New Year, Asheville.

– the AVLtoday team