On Tuesday, Feb. 23, the Asheville Downtown Association hosted its annual State of Downtown Update in a virtual format. The event was presented by First Bank, with additional support from Ward and Smith, P.A.
2021 ADA Board President Tommy Dennison and Executive Director Meghan Rogers provided an update on the association’s program of work and priorities areas for 2021, as well as reviewed results from a recent downtown issues survey. The summary of data collected in the survey can be viewed here. This report does not do a good job of summarizing the decrease in employment, which we calculated at:
- A decrease in full-time jobs of 261
- A decrease in part-time jobs of 216
- A decrease in more than 32 contract positions.
We also summarized the responses to the question “please name your top three challenges outside of Covid-19.” Those results were:
- Parking for customers and affordable parking for employees
- Homelessness and the need for more resources and a community wide solution
- Safety
- Cleanliness
- Increased rent and fixed costs
The State of Downtown Update also featured presentations from City of Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer and Buncombe County Commission Chairman Brownie Newman.
You can view a recording of the event here, enter password *jw!s1Mp to watch.
