What's next for Pack Square? New vision to begin with nearly all of Vance Monument gone
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Asheville City Council is poised to take action next week regarding the future of Pack Square Plaza -- the space where the Vance Monument, a 75-foot obelisk honoring Confederate military officer and former governor Zebulon Vance, once stood. All that's left now is the base after most of the monument was removed about a year ago.
On the consent agenda for council's June 14 meeting is a resolution to enter into a contract with the Raleigh-based McAdams Co. in the amount of $111,000 for community engagement, planning and urban design of Pack Square Plaza. According to city documents, the city would contribute $80,000 of that using General Fund appropriations and Buncombe County would contribute $30,000.
McAdams would use $15,000 from its contract to pay local organizations and/or individuals to collaborate on the project.
City leaders had prioritized hiring a Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise to manage the project. However, when a Request for Proposals was issued in January, three firms applied and only one of them was an MWBE. Additionally, it was not the highest-ranked firm during the proposal review process.
"Ultimately, we felt like the McAdams team really fit this project and had the most experience. Also, the leader or project manager of McAdams, Mitch Silver, is an African-American male, and, as I mentioned before, a former parks commissioner for New York City who has a lot of experience in New York as well as in North Carolina around similar types of projects," said Todd Okolichany, the city of Asheville's director of Planning and Urban Design.
NC COURT OF APPEALS RULES AGAINST GROUP TRYING TO STOP REMOVAL OF VANCE MONUMENT
Okolichany said they're thrilled to be working with the McAdams Co. and to begin the visioning process, which he said the community will play a big role in.
"We anticipate a lot of community conversations, not just with the surrounding property owners and tenants in this area, but we want to go outside and speak with neighbors in the Block neighborhood. We want to speak with everyone in the region," he said.
Okolichany said the goal is to make the space reflect the community and its values.
"We need to understand the history of this site to help inform what happens to this space in the future," Okolichany said. "We understand that this is a regional and local destination that should be celebrated by everybody in the community. This should be a welcoming and inclusive space and that's really what our goal is behind this project."
GROUP PLANS TO FILE APPEAL IN FIGHT TO KEEP VANCE MONUMENT, LAWYER SAYS
This comes as the full removal of the monument remains mired in litigation. The Society for the Historical Preservation of the 26th Regiment North Carolina Troops is requesting the State Supreme Court review the matter after its lawsuit opposing the removal was struck down by the State Superior Court, as well as the Court of Appeals. City Attorney Brad Branham said a decision on whether the State Supreme Court will review the matter is "still pending without a specific time frame for a decision."
However, he said the pending appeal only deals with the removal of the monument, and that there are no legal restrictions on the city pursuing the visioning process.
Branham said the question of whether or not the removal of the Vance Monument will be finalized "remains a variable for the final visioning product. However, there are no impediments to initiating the process while the Court finalizes its consideration of the matter."
ASHEVILLE, BUNCOMBE COUNTY BEGIN WORK ON PLANS FOR PACK SQUARE PLAZA
City officials are ready to begin those conversations about how Pack Square Plaza can be reimagined.
"We're really excited and looking forward to engaging with the community on how we can re-envision what Pack Square Plaza and the former Vance Monument site looks like in the future," Okolichany said.
As the city works toward beginning the process of determining what Pack Square will look like permanently, it is also focused on the immediate future and what can be done there in the interim.
ASHEVILLE LAUNCHES PUBLIC ART PROGRAM FOR PACK SQUARE PLAZA
This May, in partnership with the Friends of Buncombe County Special Collections and Asheville’s Public Art and Cultural Commission, the city kicked off a new temporary public art program to activate Pack Square Plaza and engage with the community in a new way. Art in the Heart will support the production and installation of up to 10 temporary art projects and/or experiences in Pack Square Plaza, with artist stipends ranging from $500 to $1,500. The city is calling on artists and creatives to apply. The deadline for proposals is 5 p.m. June 21, 2022.
The first installation or performance could begin as early as July with artists’ works continuing on a coordinated or rotating basis through the end of the year.
"We're really trying to encourage artists and creatives throughout the community to submit proposals for temporary art installations that might examine the past, the current and the future in terms of their interpretation of the space," Okolichany said. "It might be temporary installations, performance art, experiences that people can experience in that space."
Click here for more information on the Vance Monument's removal and the plans for visioning Pack Square Plaza.
McAdams provided the following statement:
McAdams is thrilled to be selected to work with the Asheville and the Buncombe County community to develop a vision for Pack Square. Public spaces serve as essential gathering places for communities of all sizes. McAdams has extensive experience undertaking thoughtful community engagement processes and designing inclusive civic spaces. We are excited to start the process and listen to local voices to better understand past and present experiences as well as future opportunities. The goal of this planning effort is to develop a vision for City’s central square that fulfills the aspirations of this vibrant community. McAdams is eager to get started.