Asheville City Council Adopts 10-Year Vision for Parks & Recreation

Asheville -- August 29, 2024: City of Asheville Government Press Release:  At its August 27 meeting, Asheville City

Council adopted Recreate Asheville: Shaping Our City’s Parks, a 10-year vision plan built by community members to guide the City of Asheville’s parks and recreation decisions. This plan identifies which recreation spaces need the most work, which projects will be most beneficial, and strategies to keep the Asheville Parks & Recreation (APR) system in great shape for the community. 

Built by Ashevillains

“We are thrilled with this roadmap that will help plan, build, and maintain public spaces in smarter and more beneficial ways,” according to D. Tyrell McGirt. “There will always be general maintenance and emergency repairs with a parks and recreation system as vast and aging as Asheville’s, but the Recreate Asheville plan allows us to use highly-reliable data from surveys, workshops, and events coupled with the current state of the system to plan for short and long term projects that our community deserves. We heard it loud and clear: give the most people the most access to recreation programs and spaces. And we will use our community’s input to do just that.”

Prioritizing projects allows equitable due diligence for planning, funding, and delivering great community investments rather than reacting to well-resourced special interest groups and connected individuals. While many community members said they love the city’s existing parks, they are also ready to build the foundation of an APR system to serve modern needs for the next 10, 50, and even 90 years.

Residents' desired parks and recreation priority projects and programs were identified and

incorporated into the Recreate Asheville plan through a number of ways, including:

Statistically valid survey mailed to homes citywide for 95% accurate and reliable results
Public open survey online and at events
Workshops
Focus groups
Listening sessions
Pop-up events

That information was combined with anticipated future needs and comparisons to similarly sized cities’ parks and recreation systems to define Asheville’s needs. 

The Recreate Asheville plan is also essential to grant opportunities and partnerships to implement projects and programs. Asheville voters also have the opportunity to approve $20 million in general obligation bonds during the upcoming election. If approved, bonds will fund many of the Phase 1: Short Term (1-4 year) projects prioritized in the plan.

What’s in the Plan?

APR Director McGirt’s presentation to City Council is available on the City of Asheville’s YouTube channel (begins at 4:24:50) and slides may be viewed online.

Recreate Asheville Phase 1: Short Term (1-4 Years) Projects:

6 major existing park upgrades or redevelopment projects at Burton Street, Malvern Hills, Murray Hill, Recreation, Roger Farmer, and Walton Street parks
2 major community center redevelopment projects at Linwood Crump Shiloh and Tempie Avery Montford community centers
1 new neighborhood park on Sweeten Creek Road
2 new major or special use facilities including a pickleball complex and an aquatic facility
Address significant deferred maintenance across the system

Recreate Asheville includes short, medium, and long-term goals encompassing various programs and projects:

Programming: Prioritizing recreational activities and events
Maintenance: Addressing existing park infrastructure needs
Upgrades: Renovating current parks
Redevelopment: Transforming existing community and recreation centers
New Parks: Building new neighborhood parks
Special Amenities: Developing major, unique park features

The plan outlines five key focus areas for strategic investment:

Steward & Maintain Parks for All
Access & Connectivity
Community Health & Wellness
Gathering & Placemaking
Resilient Natural Environments

Investment zones are identified based on geographic areas with the most needs based on factors such as equity, current condition, size, people served, and park experiences.

Keep the Conversation Going

Join APR Director McGirt for one-on-one or small group conversations during casual “Park Bench Chats” over the next few months.

“We believe that our parks and recreation system is strongest when it reflects the needs and desires of our community,” according to McGirt. “I had many wonderful conversations during workshops as part of grassroots engagement building the Recreate Asheville plan, so we’ve designed quarterly Park Bench Chats events as a natural extension to keep the conversation going in relaxed settings.”

Sign up for a 20-minute slot up to 45 days before each date at this link: https://calendar.app.google/XaWFW4tavbScNQ2s7. Drop-ins may be accommodated if time allows.

October 4 from 8-11am at Burton Street Community Center on 134 Burton Street
January 13 from 3-6pm at Tempie Avery Montford Community Center on 34 Pearson Drive
April 9 from 5-8pm at Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center on 121 Shiloh Road
Asheville Parks & Recreation: Explore, Connect, Discover

With its oldest parks dating to the 1890s, Asheville Parks & Recreation manages a unique collection of more than 65 public parks, playgrounds, and open spaces throughout the city in a system that also includes full-complex recreation centers, swimming pools, Riverside Cemetery, sports fields and courts, and community centers that offer a variety of wellness-, education-, and culture-related programs for Ashevillians of all ages. With 10 miles of paved greenways and numerous natural surface trails, its complete portfolio acts as the foundation of a vibrant hub for the people of Asheville to connect with their neighbors and explore the natural beauty of a livable and walkable city.

Driven by the promise that Asheville is a better and safer place when everyone from infants to retirees has the opportunity to be supported, healthy, and successful, Asheville Parks & Recreation was the first nationally-accredited municipal recreation department in the United States. For latest updates, sign up for Asheville Parks & Recreation’s monthly newsletter, visit  ashevillenc.gov/parks-recreation