Chamber of Commerce seeks $2 million for relocation and new visitor center

Multiple Swannanoa Valley organizations present proposals for COVID-19 recovery funds

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 22, 2021

The Black Mountain-Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce is seeking $2 million in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery funds to allow for the relocation of its visitor center and construction of a downtown parking deck. Photo by Fred McCormick

A proposal brought before the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, Sept. 21, is seeking $2 million in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to facilitate the relocation of the Black Mountain-Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center and construction of a parking deck in the center of downtown Black Mountain. 

The request was one of 50 heard by commissioners in the first of several input sessions designed to engage the local community in the coming weeks, as the county continues the process of distributing the $50 million it was awarded by the American Rescue Plan.

Buncombe County received its first installment of $25 million in Recovery Funds, which were dispersed to provide an infusion of resources to address the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, in May. A request for proposals from eligible applicants, open from June 3 - July 15, generated 141 responses seeking a total of $243.8 million, the county reported in its recovery plan performance report. A review team of 21 people, representing 16 county departments, evaluated the entries before they were presented to commissioners in August. 

The board approved $11 million for county projects addressing what were determined to be immediate needs, Aug. 31, and scheduled two applicant input sessions allowing 100 organizations two minutes each to address commissioners. The second applicant input session is scheduled for 3 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 5. 

Black Mountain - Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Chair Jon Brooks presented on behalf of the nonprofit organization, which was established in 1923 and has been operating in its current location on East State Street since 1983. The chamber, which partners with approximately 275 businesses in the Swannanoa Valley, was faced with a “unique need” during the pandemic, according to Brooks. 

“After the initial shutdown in communities across America, we realized that as people wanted to get away from concentrated urban areas of infection, we were ‘away,’” he said. “Folks came here for the fresh air, hiking trails and biking routes that Black Mountain is a gateway for. Tourism increased in our region of the county to almost two million visitors per year.”

Foot traffic in the chamber’s visitor center is up nearly 200% over 2020, he continued. 

“We realize that we now need help in rebuilding a consistent workforce and managing all of the unexpected outsiders who have discovered us,” Brooks said. “As one of the few requests from the eastern part of the county, our proposal would have a sustained impact on hundreds of businesses and create a nearly turnkey job force training venue within a half block of public transit.”

The project would require the purchase of three adjacent parcels of land, including an existing structure at 120 Broadway Avenue that would house the visitor center. A 41-space parking deck, creating centralized access for motorists downtown, would be constructed nearby. That infrastructure would support a growing need in the central business district of a town that experienced the addition of 19 new businesses and expansion of seven existing businesses between March of 2020 and June of 2021, according to the chamber. 

The relocated visitor center would allow the chamber to expand its current services while adding space for workforce development training to unemployed and underemployed residents in multiple fields, including hospitality, retail, child care, and others. 

The new visitor center would better serve a growing tourism market in the region, according to the chamber. 

“With county, city and state emphasis on outdoor adventure, through greenways and state trails, Black Mountain will continue to be a popular destination for outdoor recreation and relocation,” the chamber stated in its request. The proposed location would place the visitor center near the Black Mountain Greenway system, which  is part of the Fonta Flora State Trail that, once completed, will link Morganton to Asheville. 

Funding for the project would require $1.3 million for property acquisition, $1 million to construct a parking deck that would meet design requirements for the town’s historical district and $50,000 for the renovation of the existing structure. The sale of the current visitor center would support the purchase of the land. 

“Our local businesses were remarkably good stewards of the government relief we pointed them to during the pandemic,” Brooks said, as he thanked county commissioners for considering the proposal. “Now, their resilience can be maintained if we can address their current workforce and parking needs to meet the unprecedented tourism demand.”

Other proposals from the Swannanoa Valley

The chamber was one of three Swannanoa Valley organizations to offer proposals in the Tuesday commissioners’ briefing. Ali Casparian, founder and director of Bounty & Soul, requested funding to support the nonprofit organization’s Benevolence Box program. The initiative delivers healthy food, sourced from local farms and businesses, in an effort to address increased food insecurity and isolation brought about by the pandemic. 

“This program addresses the need for equitable access to nutritious food, while also tackling social isolation,” Casparian said. “The Benevolence Box program, which was started during the pandemic to meet a gap in service, continues to be a need as the economic and health impacts continue to linger.”

Christmount Christian Academy Executive Director Rob Morris advocated for funding that would be used to expand the Camp Lakey Gap program, which serves children on the autism spectrum. 

“What we’re proposing is called Camp for All, Friends for All, which is a community-wide collaborative camping program focused on serving some of the most marginalized members of our communities,” he said. “It’s designed for folks with developmental disabilities, chronic or terminal illness and autism, and it would bring together a myriad of agencies and organizations within our community.”

The next round of input from applicants is scheduled to include LEAF Global Arts and the Donald S. Collins Early Learning Center in Black Mountain. 

County commissioners will hear public comments on Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds in a series of sessions in the coming days. Representatives of Districts 2 and 3 will be joined by Board Chair Brownie Newman, from 4 - 5:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 27, and from 6 - 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 28. For more information on the public input sessions, including links to Zoom and Facebook Live, visit the County Center web page.