North Carolina Construction News staff writer
The City of Asheville hosted an open house in November to introduce a new planning project for the downtown Patton Avenue Corridor. The study will create a long-term vision for the area of Patton Avenue that runs from the Jeff Bowen Bridge to its endpoint at Pack Square Plaza.
Staff is working with consultants from McAdams to develop transportation, land use, and urban design recommendations for the downtown thoroughfare.
The planning study will take approximately one year and will be reviewed regularly by a Project Working Group including community members from various backgrounds.
The goals for the study are:
- Transform the area so that Patton Avenue and the Captain Jeff Bowen Bridges serves as a gateway to the Downtown;
- Set the stage for Patton Avenue to develop as a mixed-use corridor;
- Retrofit Patton Avenue into a complete street that is safe for all road users;
- Improve connections at Hillcrest to integrate this community with Downtown and terminate at Pack Square;
- Better connect Downtown to the river and other neighborhoods; and
- Create a plan for a network of multi-use paths that connect people to nearby economic and recreational opportunities.