On Tuesday, January 14, the Asheville City Council voted 5-1 to authorize the city manager to sign a contract with the Downtown Asheville Community Improvement District to deliver the downtown work . Business Improvement District (BID) during their regular meeting. Following a competitive selection process, the contract was awarded to the top-ranked service provider, Asheville Downtown Improvement District (ADID), an organization founded through a partnership between the Asheville Downtown Association, the Chamber of Commerce of the Asheville and Nexstreet Area (MWBE). in Asheville, North Carolina.
The initial contract duration proposed is 3 years with two optional one-year renewals. The Asheville City Council retains final authority to approve the BID’s annual budget and set the annual tax rate to fund the BID. The contracted BID operator will be responsible for regular reporting to the city council and the public, as well as monitoring data and public engagement to assess the effectiveness of services.
In his presentation to City Council, Deputy City Manager Ben Woody noted that the role and services of the BID will be both timely and beneficial to the economic recovery of downtown and the community as a whole, post-Helene. “Supporting the success and resilience of downtown – our region’s center of employment and commerce – is critical to recovery,” Woody emphasized.
In addition to the scope of services already described, the ADID team will hire a Business Resilience Coordinator to support existing downtown businesses as well as businesses displaced by Hurricane Helene. The coordinator will also work with public and private agencies to leverage small business and emergency relief resources, and to coordinate marketing initiatives that support the local economy.
Next steps
The following timeline for the implementation of the services has been shared in the presentation to the Council:
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January 31, 2025: Contract executed with the service provider
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February/March 2025: Recruitment and training of BID staff
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March 2025: launch of the first services
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Initial services should include: business engagement, staff hiring, and board selection and approval.
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Planned start April 1 for start of field services
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March/April 2025: The service provider reports its activities and accomplishments to the City Manager’s Office and the Downtown Commission.
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June 2025: BID services fully operational
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June 2025: The service provider reports on its activities and achievements to the municipal council
The city is required by state law to begin providing BID services within one year of its establishment, or no later than June 30, 2025.
More information
Stay up to date on the Downtown BID and service implementation by visiting the project page here.