From Staff Reports 

The City of Asheville has been awarded a $3 million grant “to implement the community’s vision in and around Pack Square Plaza” in the heart of downtown Asheville, the city announced in a June 23 press release.

Specifically, the money will be used to reshape Pack Square Plaza and the gateway to The Block (a historically black area of downtown), based on “feedback collected through the Pack Square Visioning Project in 2022 and 2023.”

The funding is from the Mellon Foundation’s Monuments Project, described in the release as a philanthropic “commitment to give $250 million by 2025 to transform the nation’s commemorative landscape through public projects that more completely and accurately represent the multiplicity and complexity of American stories.”

Asheville City Manager Debra Campbell was quoted in the release as saying the following:

“We heard from our community that Pack Square Plaza was not everything it could be — and that sharing our stories — especially stories unsung, misunderstood or not fully told, are at the heart of reshaping Pack Square into a more inclusive place. This partnership will allow us to take what we heard and repurpose this space in a way that reflects the needs and values of our community.”

Funding will support the following priorities identified through public engagement as follows, according to the release:

• Construction-ready plans for phased improvements to Pack Square Plaza that will better represent and include multicultural expressions, and make it a more welcoming, accessible and a safe place for all.

• Expanded storytelling and oral history programs to capture and share our diverse histories.

• The design and construction of stronger cultural and physical connections between Pack Square Plaza and The Block, the historic Black business district of East End Valley Street that sits adjacent to Pack Square Plaza

The city’s press release added, “Buncombe County, which partnered with the city on the Visioning Project, will continue working with the city and community partners to ensure the projects funded through the Mellon Foundation are a success.” 

The draft Vision Plan from the Pack Square Plaza Visioning process will be released for public comment on July 21.

In addition to being able to provide input online, several in-person public engagements will be planned for July 28 and 29. 

“The community can learn more about the grant funding at those meetings, the details for which will be announced soon, and posted on the project website.

“The Pack Square Vision Plan will be presented to Asheville City Council on Sept. 12,” ” the release concluded.

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