ICYMI, Asheville City Council met Tuesday night and made several significant decisions. Chief among them? The Council approved plans to transform the empty lot called 68 Hywood St. — the area between the Basilica of St. Lawrence and Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville, a.k.a., the Pit of Despair — into a multi-use space featuring public art, market areas, community gardens (including native plants), stonework, a covered porch + more. The plan also includes additional improvements to the streetscape which neighbors the area, including a realignment of Page Ave. Known as the Haywood-Page Project, it’s estimated to cost $14 million, and work could begin in the next two years depending on funding allocation.

As part of the city’s reparations to the Black community, City Council also approved a decision to prohibit the sale + development of city property acquired for urban renewal, a federal government program used in the 1950s through the 1970s wherein cities were given federal grants to clear + rebuild their so-called blighted neighborhoods. The program is widely regarded as being responsible for displacing + damaging African-American neighborhoods throughout the country, including several in Asheville.

In efforts to align with reparations and improve race + gender based disparities in city contracting and procurement, City Council also unanimously approved a new Business Inclusion Policy. This policy supports MWSBEs (Minority, Women, and Small Buisness Enterprises) and will allow the city to make more targeted efforts to address these disparities, as well as provide minorities with equal opportunities, prohibit discrimination, and promote existing and start-up development of MWSBEs. The policy goes into effect Jan. 1, 2021 and aligns with the city’s 30-60-90 benchmarks to support women, minorities + small businesses.

Building upon their Climate Emergency Resolution from January of this year, City Council also approved a decision establishing a zero-net loss tree canopy policy. Its goal? To establish tree canopy coverage of 50% by 2040 in order to fight canopy loss and ensuing “heat islands,” which can disproportionately affect minority communities. This resolution supports the establishment of a Comprehensive Urban Forestry Program in the future.

Want to dig in further? Check out the video of the meeting here.