Asheville's 'Boosting the Block' project secures initial $180,000 funding boost
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — The City of Asheville's Boosting the Block Project took a big step forward at the end of May, as its first funds were received.
According to a news release, at its May 28 meeting, Asheville City Council approved $180,000 to fund a contract for the project, which is one of three projects funded by a $3 million Mellon Foundation grant to implement components of the Pack Square Plaza Vision Plan. The Vision Plan was adopted by Asheville City Council on Sept. 26, 2023, following a planning and community engagement process led by the McAdams Company and local government staff.
The Boosting the Block project is the most expensive of the three projects, coming in at $1.8 million, according to Downtown Projects Manager Dana Frankel.
"One of the recommendations in the Pack Square Vision Plan is to better connect Pack Square with The Block and make this whole area more welcoming and inclusive, and so this is one step of implementation based on that Plan," Frankel told News 13.
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The Block, which is one block away from Pack Square, is a historic Black business district and multicultural hub in downtown Asheville, the release said. The Block also serves as a geographic and cultural connection between downtown and the East End Valley Street Neighborhood.
The City of Asheville said the Boosting the Block Project will include the following:
- Construction of a physical gateway and cultural corridor between Pack Square and The Block
- Increased capacity of neighborhood anchors to shape and influence the future of The Block
- Enhanced public spaces and programming that authentically narrate the past, present, and future of The Block
- Consensus and implementation of neighborhood identity and marketing for The Block
In addition to the Boosting the Block project, the other two projects funded by the Mellon Foundation are Reframing the Square (design and engineering of a new plan for the site of the former Vance Monument and surrounding plaza) and Sharing our Stories (catalyze change in the overall narrative that drives our physical, social and online landscapes of commemoration through an expansion of Buncombe County’s Oral History program).
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What's next
The Community Facilitator will lead engagement and support all aspects of project management including schedule, planning, design and implementation throughout the project, according to the news release.
The selected team is a collaborative partnership between Illumined Leadership Solutions and BennettWeston Consulting, both Black-owned, Durham-based firms. They were selected based on qualifications and their approach to the project through a competitive request for proposal process and selection committee composed of City staff, Buncombe County staff and community representatives.
Additional contracting opportunities that are supported through this project include a local community coordinator, creative strategist/consulting artist, marketing/promotion/advertising and production of a community celebration. These are in addition to the anticipated design/engineering contract and construction contracts.
In addition to the Boosting the Block Project, grant funding will be used for design and engineering for reshaping Pack Square and supporting a partnership with the Buncombe County Library to expand programming and education around more inclusive storytelling and history efforts in the community.
