N'hood Info

Beverly Hills

This article is a summary of a presentation made by Tadd Cole, President of the Beverly Hills Homeowners' Association and members of his Board at the October 13, 2008 meeting of the Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods.

The Beverly Hills Neighborhood is located in East Asheville and was first created as a development in the area around the Municipal Golf Course.  The original development consisted of 400 homes that now make up the members of the Homeowners' Association.  The Golf Course provides a great green space for this very walk-able neighborhood and many residents take advantage of the area and get out to walk and socialize with their neighbors.

The Homeowners' Association has been active for many years.  They are currently exploring ways to get residents more involved in the activities of the Association and its Board, such as developing a web site to keep folks more connected to the Association and their neighbors.  They currently use block captains to maintain good communication with folks by distributing their newsletter, meeting and other notices.  This system has been helpful in keeping residents aware of neighborhood issues - like a series of car break-ins this summer.  The Association contacted APD and a meeting was organized with Community Resource Officer Charles Wells to inform residents about the problem and possible actions to address it.  Because neighbors were aware the break-ins were going on, a resident recognized one in progress, contacted the police, and the suspect was apprehended.

The Homeowners' Association also organizes regular events that are well received and attended.  Each year in April the annual meeting, which is held at the East Asheville Community Center, attracts a good turnout.  This year the Center Director, Candy Shaw, presented information about the Center's offerings and area residents learned about services they could access at the Center.   The Association is very interested in the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department's Master Plan and is eager to find out how the plan will impact their Center and the services it offers.  The organization continues to look for ways to support the Center and its staff.

Another event the Association sponsors is an annual Neighborhood Picnic, which is held at Recreation Park each fall.  This event draws a lot of folks, good food and good times!  Because of the good attendance, the Association collects membership dues and gets folks to sign up to help with Association activities each year at this event.  Dues allow the Association to pursue neighborhood and Board projects like the Annual Meeting and Picnic.

Monthly Board meetings, held at the East Asheville Community Center on the second Thursday of the month, are also a good time for neighborhood folks to discuss and learn more about issues impacting their neighborhood.  One issue that has been tracked by the Board is the use of conditional zoning to permit the conversion of residential property to businesses.  The Association has worked to create a better awareness of this issue within their neighborhood and the community.  The Board has also identified members' interest in working with the city to improve their neighborhood by getting more sidewalks built, introducing traffic calming in areas where cars tend to speed, and getting their older streets paved.

Tadd says his Board is a great group of folks.  One of their struggles is keeping neighbors involved in the work of the Association.  He and other Board members are interested in learning more about how other Neighborhood or Homeowners' Associations keep people involved and active in their organizations.  They are also interested in sharing their strategies for building community and keeping neighbors focused on maintaining attractive homes and yards. 

One of those strategies is a "Yard of the Month" contest.  A committee consisting of about 6 neighbors walks around the neighborhood and identifies the nicest yard for the month.  It might be a yard that has been improved in some way - or that stands out in its overall attractiveness.  When a winner is selected,a "Yard of the Month" sign is posted in that yard so everyone walking or driving by can see who won.  The yard is also posted on the Association Web site with pictures.  This contest inspires everyone in the neighborhood to do a good job in keeping their home and yard well maintained!  Over the years many different residences have won and winners include both homeowners and renters.  If you have recently driven through the Beverly Hills Neighborhood you know that this and other efforts by the neighborhood and their Homeowners' Association have been successful in creating a great place to live.

Grove Park-Sunset Mountain

This article is a summary of a presentation made by Grace Curry at the November 11, 2008 CAN meeting.

The Grove Park-Sunset Mountain Neighborhood Assocation consists of a large area that surrounds the Gove Park Inn and includes approximately 400 homes.  They are a unique neighborhood because, with the exception of the Grove Park Inn, there is no commercial zoning.  The neighborhood contains several properties that are zoned as institutional - two churches which have had an impact on the neighborhood.  Both churches located in the neighborhood have experienced growth in recent years and present the neighborhood with challenges related to parking. 

The Grove Park-Sunset Neighborhood, while mostly residential, is diverse in terms of the types, styles and age of housing.  The area is an interesting mix of historic and newer homes, having three areas (Grove Park, Sunset Terrace, Proximity Park) that are listed on the National Historical Register and also many newer homes and complexes.  There are many rental properties, including rental units within single family homes and larger apartment buildings.  The neighborhood has a substantial number of residences that serve as second homes and this trend impacts the neighborhood as a community.

The Grove Park-Sunset Mountain Neighborhood Association was founded in 1973 in response to issues impacting the integrity of the neighborhood, including those related to the further development of the Grove Park Inn property.  Over the past several years, the major issues of focus for the Association's efforts include:

1.        The ongoing development of the Grove Park Inn property.  There is a ten year Master Plan for the Inn that includes more construction.  The Association and the Grove Park Neighborhood Representatives, an ad hoc group that meets periodically with Inn representatives, are monitoring the negative impacts of construction on neighborhood streets and residences, but are also supportive of some projects.  One of these is the building of another parking garage that will move overflow parking off neighborhood streets.

2.        The increase in membership of the two churches in the neighborhood.  Both churches struggle with providing adequate parking for their membership and this has often resulted in those attending church functions parking illegally on neighborhood sidewalks.

3.        Construction of single family homes on the steep-sloped vacant lots on Sunset Mountain.  The Association feels that the steep slope ordinances (which recently have updated to include single family dwellings) have helped regulate this growth to a certain extent, but they continue to monitor the impacts from the construction on steep slopes.

4.        Neighborhood traffic issues.  Because of continued development in North Asheville, such as those off Beaverdam Road, some of the main streets in the neighborhood will continue to see increases of pass-through traffic.  The Neighborhood Association would like to see more extensive traffic studies included in the process for approving new development.  These studies need to explore the impacts of traffic from new development for a larger area.

5.        Resurrect the Charlotte Street Corridor Plan:  This plan was adopted by City Council in 1999 and the Association is interested in working with the City and other neighborhoods and businesses in the Charlotte Street area to begin to identify parts of the plan that can be implemented.

Because the Association represents such a large area they have had to develop strategies to encourage participation from residents in all sections of their neighborhood.  One successful strategy has been to divide the neighborhood into smaller areas with each of the areas having representation on the Board.  This year they are going to hold meetings in each of the smaller sub-neighborhoods in addition to regular Board meetings.  The Association publishes a quarterly newsletter.

In addition to regular Board meetings, the Association holds an annual meeting in the Fall and this year held a Neighborhood Picnic.  They are interested in holding more social events in the future.

Haw Creek Community Association

From a presentation by Association President, Chris Pelly, at the September 2008 CAN meeting.

Approximately 7,500 residents, or ten percent of the City of Asheville's population, live in this convenient neighborhood that was a rural farming area not too long ago.  In the olden days it had its own stagecoach that transported residents to and from Asheville because it was fairly isolated from the city.  That began to change in the late 1970's, when the cut was made through Beaucatcher Mountain to provide easier access through the city.  This action contributed to the increased development of the area that changed Haw Creek from a rural area to the fast growing community it has become, as evident by the current average of 1 new subdivision per year.  

The Haw Creek Community Association was formed in 1984.  It has been an active organization from the start and has made a real impact on the community and the quality of life for Haw Creek residents.  The Association has achieved a great balance of reoccurring events and new projects, both of which involve a large group of residents yearly.  Some of the ongoing efforts include a very professional looking newsletter and web site; a Memorial Day Bike Parade for younger residents -with a contest for the best decorated bike judged by local veterans; and a popular Annual Community Barbeque, where community members can gather and catch up with each other over great food from a community restaurant.  

The Haw Creek Community Association has an outstanding record of successes with projects that address infrastructure and quality of life needs in the community. These projects demonstrate the leadership the Association has provided for building a strong future for the Haw Creek Community by actively enlisting community members and others in seeking ways to improve the community.  One ongoing project has been the building of sidewalks to connect the community.  This summer the completion of one segment of this project was celebrated in July, when Mayor Bellamy and other officials cut the ribbon for a quarter mile stretch of sidewalk along New Haw Creek Road. Another community-wide effort has been the project to create a park on 9 acres of land that connects to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Mountain to Sea Trail.  This project started out around a resident's kitchen table two years ago and has drawn support from both the City and the County government.  In addition, 125 Haw Creek families have made contributions to the project to which all the residents of Asheville and Buncombe County will have access since eventually the park will become a passive park within the City park system. 

The Community Association works in other ways to address the issues that impact residents.  It holds candidates' forums during city elections.  It also takes action on residents' concerns by bringing the folks who can address and respond to community problems.  An example of this role is the ongoing monitoring of local development and communication with appropriate city staff if and when problems occur.  Another is the recent community meeting with Progress Energy to discuss the placement of a large regulator on a property on Haw Creek and potential additional sites for regulators. 

At any given time, 35 to 40 Haw Creek community members are directly involved with the Association and its projects, a fact that demonstrates the ownership community members feel in the Haw Creek Community Association.  For more information on the Association and the Haw Creek Neighborhood, please visit www.hawcreeknc.org

Montford

From presentation made by Sharon Fahrer and Joe Masters at the June 2008 CAN meeting.

Montford Neighborhood Association has the distinction of being one of the longest and most successful established neighborhood groups in Asheville.  Montford has always been a diverse neighborhood, not only in terms of residents but also in housing stock, with lots of big and little houses and everything in between.   In part because of its location so close to downtown and to 19/23 and 240, it is a neighborhood with its share of challenges with crime and other issues that negatively impact the quality of life in a neighborhood.  For Montford, it was these issues that brought people together and made everyone a stakeholder in an effort to create a neighborhood with no drugs and related crime. 

One strength of the Montford Association is their newsletter, which is produced by Montford resident Joe Newman. There are 10 editions each year, with 1600 copies printed per issue. Residents all have the opportunity to contribute to the newsletter – it is a true community effort.  The newsletter goes out to all residents and businesses in the neighborhood.  Hard copies are hand delivered by 50 people to residents and community locations including Pack Library.  The most current newsletter and 12 years of archived issues are available on the Association’s web site www.montford.org.  Over the years the newsletter has become self-supporting through the sales of ads and resource listings.

The Association also has a listserv to reach out to residents and interested folks.  It is a great tool for fostering community discussion and dialog and keeps people in touch with each other and current issues.  Recently there has been a hot conversation on chickens in the neighborhood.

The Association has worked hard over the years to support itself while continuing to keep the neighborhood focused on its identity and the activities that build community.  This effort has had its challenges.  The Historic District designation has not always been a positive and unifying force, especially since not all the houses in the Montford Neighborhood are in the historic district, which encompasses 600 houses.  Keeping the neighborhood diverse has presented challenges with renovations, increase in bed-and-breakfast industry and rising cost of housing.  The presence of a high proportion of apartments, vacation rentals and summer homes, and absentee landlords creates a level of transience that can adversely impact the stability of the neighborhood.  The neighborhood will continue to change with the coming of the Health Adventure and other urban village development.

But the Association and other groups find ways of bringing folks together to create a sense of community that makes this neighborhood so special. With so many great front porches, people have lots of opportunities to visit and enjoy the neighborhood. There are several Association sponsored events that bring the community together, like an Easter Egg hunt and the Montford Music festival, and events that raise funds and draw people from the rest of the community, such as the tour of Montford homes. In addition, the Association tries to organize and fund projects like building the gazebo in Montford Park.

While the Montford Park Players are a separate organization, they also provide a draw to the neighborhood and add to its unique identity.  The neighborhood is also fortunate to have the Montford Community Center located in its midst.  The center provides additional activities for neighbors and hosts community events like the Halloween Haunted House.

Norwood Park

This article is a summary of a presentation made by Christina Longoria and Bruce Baker at the February 9, 2009 CAN meeting.

Driving around the Norwood Park neighborhood, you get a strong sense of the history of the area and what it might have looked like when it was first developed as a designed community by E. W. Grove in 1912. At the time it was outside the city limits and was a very progressive concept - the first designed community in Asheville and one of the first in the nation. Because of this it was often referred to as "the suburb beautiful."

It is this sense of their place in the history of Asheville and the nation that prompted the Norwood Park Neighborhood Association to undertake the process to gain a place on the National Registry of Historic Places. The Association began the Nomination process in 2002 by holding a tour of neighborhood homes to raise the funds for the project. An important part of the process was the research on the history of each of the properties. This has given the neighborhood a stronger sense of the need to protect and maintain their neighborhood and community.

One reason Norwood Park was honored with the Historic Nomination is that it is considered an "intact" neighborhood, one in which most of the homes were build as part of the original community and have a consistent exterior style and design. Currently, 154 of the 174 homes in Norwood Park are original to the development. Over time there has been very little infill building, so the neighborhood has maintained its original shape and appearance.

Much of the work of preparing the Nomination is best undertaken by a consultant who specializes in historic research, so the Association used one to help with the Nomination. Working together the neighborhood raised $10,000 through various activities and events to cover the cost of the consultant.

The Norwood Park Neighborhood Association clearly feels the process was worth the effort and expense. While it took a total of four years and a lot of work, the recognition helps call attention to the very special nature of their neighborhood and they understandably view this accomplishment with pride. During the Nomination process, neighborhood members learned there are no downsides related to being on the National Registry - it is a process that recognizes the historic value of their neighborhood without placing any restrictions on what they can do with their homes. They also discovered that there were benefits to owning property in a neighborhood on the National Registry in terms of being eligible to receive a state tax credit when they have completed $25,000 of restoration on their house. In addition, the designation provides some protection when certain kinds of development activities such as road widening are undertaken in or near the neighborhood.
So the next time you are in North Asheville and have a little time to spend walking around, check out the Norwood Park sign at the corner of Murdock and Woodward and take a stroll around one of Asheville's most historic, attractive, and friendly neighborhoods!

Parkway Forest

Shiloh Community Association

This article is a summary of a presentation made by Norma Baynes, member of the Shiloh Community Association, at the May 12, 2008 CAN meeting.

The Shiloh Community Association in South Asheville was established in 2000 to address ongoing challenges for the Shiloh Community. The Association brought community members together to identify issues, develop solutions and implement positive changes to improve the quality of life for residents. Much of the success of this organization has come from their focus on developing more effective ways to interact and partner with other organizations. The process of becoming a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization opened up a wide range of opportunities for grants, donations and partnerships and has helped keep the Association's focus on the important issues facing the whole community. An additional factor in the success of the Shiloh Community Association is the fact that it has built on the strength of its identity as an African American Community wit h a rich and complex history.

The Community Association meets on the first Monday of the month at the Shiloh Community Center. Meetings are always well attended by an active group of community members who have created an impressive track record of activities and achievements. Efforts have centered on the Shiloh Community Garden, which was established on land donated by a member of the community. Fruits and vegetables grown in the garden are available to all community members and produce from the garden feeds community residents when they attend gatherings and cookouts hosted by the Association. In addition, the garden served as the basis for a very successful city-wide forum on food security this spring. The forum, entitled "From the Ground to the Plate", raised awareness of the need for all community residents to have access to a safe, culturally appropriate, and n utritionally sound diet through an economically and environmentally sustainable food system that promotes community self-reliance and social justice. These are values the Shiloh Community strives to demonstrate through their projects with the garden.

Shiloh partnered with the city to develop a Neighborhood Plan to guide future development in their area. Working with an architect, the Association created a detailed map of Shiloh with important landmarks and locations of interest and community activities and have designed and built a unique bus stop working with the Design Corp. of Raleigh. Building on the history of the community, the Association has published a Shiloh Cookbook that shares delicious family recipes and serves as a part of their on-going fundraising efforts. In addition, the Association engages in many community building and crime prevention activities. They have hosted a Citizens' Police Academy and cosponsor an annual Spelling Bee with city Parks and Recreation Department. T-shirts designed and produced by the Association are available to all members and create community pr ide and recognition.

Even with all these accomplishments, the Shiloh Community Association is not likely to take a break from working to improve their community. They are currently constructing a pavilion to serve as a community gathering place. This project is being accomplished through funding from a city grant and additional technical support from AB Tech. The Board is also beginning work on developing a newsletter and Association Web site. They work continuously to develop both non-profit, government and corporate partners to help support the important work of making their community a better place to live.

South French Broad

Based on a presentation by Allison and Clark Browne at the April 13, 2009 CAN meeting.

As happens in many neighborhoods, the current efforts to establish a strong and diverse neighborhood organization for the South French Broad area is building on past work to bring neighbors together to improve the quality of life for all residents of that neighborhood.  This most recent and successful effort grew out of a community meeting focused on neighborhood concerns about crime and public safety in the spring of 2007.  A neighborhood barbeque organized as follow-up to the meeting led to the formation of the South French Broad Neighborhood Association.  The group meets each month on the second Thursday evening for solution-oriented meetings.  This approach has resulted in many accomplishments achieved in the year and a half by working together and building partnerships between neighborhood members, the City of Asheville, neighborhood businesses and other organizations. 

The accomplishments of the Association have included:

• Improved Communication in the form of a Yahoo group and a monthly newsletter.  Through a partnership with one neighborhood business, United Services Credit Union, a dedicated group of neighbors are able to hand deliver hard copies of the newsletter to the homes of neighborhood residents who do not receive it through the Yahoo group
• Increased safety and decreased in crime in Aston Park and neighborhood streets.  Working with Asheville Police Department and the neighboring West End Clingman Area Neighborhood (WECAN), the neighborhood has identified priority issues and ways to address them.  Neighborhood residents have assisted the police in monitoring crimes like prostitution by reporting suspicious persons and activities to the non-emergency dispatch number.
  
  Other crime prevention related actions that have been accomplished by this partnership have been an increase in lighting on the street and in Aston Park.  The neighborhood worked with City Police and Traffic and Engineering address the dangerous intersection with poor sight lines at S French Broad and Bartlett Street by the installation of a 4-way stop.
• Partnerships with neighborhood businesses and other organizations.
  • In order to address crime issues at the Hot Spot convenience store on the corner of Hilliard and McDowell, it partnered with the West End Clingman Area Neighborhood (WECAN), the owners' of the Hot Spot, nearby business, Families Together, and CRO Jackie Stepp to clean up the area and remove shrubs that provided a place for unacceptable loitering and crime activity. WECAN has been a partner in several other efforts - from working with the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Department to make Aston Park more attractive and safe for children and families to use to holding anti-crime events during National Night Out. 
  • South French Broad and WECAN are currently planning a community garden together, with the help of another active neighborhood business partner, the United Services Credit Union.  The garden will be sited on the grounds of the Credit Union, located towards the south end of South French Broad. 
  • The Neighborhood Association has built a strong relationship with this neighborhood business, which makes copies of their newsletter for distribution and has provided space for neighborhood meetings.
  • The neighborhood has also partnered with Asheville Greenworks to conduct neighborhood cleanups as well as some beautification projects - such as planting the traffic island on S French Broad at the corner of Hilliard. 
  • They are currently working to provide a community business with opportunities to do service projects in the area with elderly residents.
• Completed a Neighborhood Visioning Projects in partnership with the City.  South French Broad was the site of a pilot project for a Neighborhood Visioning project. Over 60 neighborhood residents participated in a series of 4 meetings to develop an action plan for the future.  "Know our Past/Grow our Future" was the slogan for the process that identified 5 areas of focus.  The process helped create a shared vision and provided information on ways to create a stronger organization and strengthen the identity of the neighborhood.  The implementation of the action steps created in the Visioning process will help involve more neighbors and keep everyone focused on the future of this great neighborhood.

West End Clingman Avenue Neighborhood (WECAN)

This article is based on a presentation at the August 13, 2008 CAN meeting by Byron Ballard and Luella Heetderks. 

The West End/Clingman Avenue (WECAN) area is one of the oldest residential areas in the City of Asheville. Parts of the neighborhood were originally established as housing for workers at the Asheville Cotton Mill, Earle-Chesterfield Mill and the railroad. We now think of the WECAN area as one neighborhood, but it was originally two - one a predominately African-American neighborhood and the other a neighborhood of lower income white residents. Historically, there have been a lot of pressures on this neighborhood, both internal and external. One was the cultural antagonism between the two original neighborhoods. Others are the result of the location of those neighborhoods in an area surrounded and landlocked by the river and the railroad and, in time, I- 240. Residents who have traditionally lived in this neighborhood and those who have chosen it as home are a very diverse group who have seasoned the changing conditions and found ways to work together to address these pressures. One significant accomplishment has been their success in overcoming the long-standing distrust between the two original neighborhoods by creating a community that honors all residents and their active participation. The area is now a neighborhood in the true sense of the word. People know one another and each others' children, and feel the connection that comes about when folks are watching out for one another.

In addition to building community in informal ways, the neighborhood elected to create a formal association. The WECAN Association was formed over 12 years ago in response to the internal and external pressures when a small group of neighbors came together out of concern for the future development of their neighborhood. They wanted to make sure residents had a strong voice in decisions about how the issues related to the changing nature of their neighborhood would be addressed. The Association became a 501(c)(3) and has an active board that meets the 1st Thursday of every month in the offices of Mountain Housing Opportunity at the corner of Clingman and Hilliard Avenues.

The Association has a long list of successful projects to its credit. All of these projects have been aimed at creating a better quality of life for residents and building stronger relationships among neighbors. Several of the projects have honored the history of the area and its residents. A community-created exhibit of historic photos, entitled "Places of the Heart", was shown at the Front Gallery in Pack Place. The Association also conducted an oral history project with the support of Handmade in America that resulted in the production of a movie, which can be accessed through Board members.

Another focus for Association projects has been the beautification of their neighborhood. With funding from a grant, neighbors designed and planted new landscaping for their front yards. Neighbors worked on their own yards and helped each other to develop attractive front yards with the help of Quality Forward. Working with both consultants and city planners, the neighborhood worked together to create a WECAN neighborhood plan that was approved by City Council and included in the 2025 plan. The neighborhood continues to grow and change, with new infill housing and plans for more.

The impact of the WECAN Association is felt outside its boundaries through their collaboration with other neighborhoods. The recent improvements in the Hot Spot at the corner of McDowell and Hilliard and the very successful National Night Out Event are two examples of their partnership with the newly formed South French Broad Neighborhood Association. On National Night Out, the luminaries they set out on Hilliard and South French Broad were a reflection of their creative way of addressing issues while building partnerships and collaboration that lead to stronger community.