Planning, Economic Development and Environment Committee (Virtual) (Apr 21, 2026)

Planning, Economic Development and Environment Committee Meeting Recap – April 21, 2026

The Planning, Economic Development and Environment (PEDE) Committee held a virtual meeting on April 21, 2026, focusing primarily on updates related to the Asheville Regional Transit (ART) system and city parking services. The meeting also included brief introductions of guest speakers who will present on small business grant programs in the future, and approved minutes from a previous meeting held on March 17th. This committee plays a crucial role in advising the City Council on long-range planning, economic development strategies, climate action initiatives, and overall resilience efforts within Asheville.

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to a detailed presentation from Transportation Director Ashley Hare and her team, covering ART's performance data. While on-time performance has improved since 2024, reaching 73% year-to-date (FY26), challenges remain due to factors like weather events (specifically the impact of "Helene") and ongoing staffing shortages. The committee acknowledged efforts to address these issues, including wage increases and retention bonuses for drivers, and the recent launch of a new ART website (writetheart.com) aimed at providing riders with improved information and tools. The committee also received a report from Parking Services Division Manager Sabrina Tolle, highlighting increased revenue for city garages and discussing the need to prioritize capital maintenance funding to avoid future reliance on borrowing. A comparison was made between Asheville and county parking rates, permit fees, and enforcement practices.

The committee approved the minutes from their March 17th meeting via a roll call vote, confirming that previous discussions and actions are officially recorded. Notably, the March 17th meeting saw a motion to authorize the City Manager to execute a contract with RATP Dev for Asheville Rides Transit operations and maintenance fail due to lack of a second motion. This suggests ongoing discussions surrounding the future management of Asheville’s transit system are still underway. While no direct public comments were taken during the main portion of the meeting, a system was in place allowing citizens to provide live comments via phone.

Several key action items emerged from the discussion. Committee Chair Maggie Olman requested that the committee receive year-end data from the Planning, Economic Development and Environment department. Councilwoman Sage Turner emphasized the need for future reports to include benchmarking data comparing Asheville’s performance against industry standards and similar agencies. Carol Wheeler inquired about the progress of a mobile fare payment system, which staff confirmed remains a high priority. Finally, the committee engaged in a discussion about increasing funding for capital maintenance of parking garages, recognizing its importance in ensuring long-term sustainability. IT and CAPE are also working together to develop a dashboard for accessible data visibility, which will be helpful in tracking progress on these initiatives.

This meeting provided valuable insights into the current state of Asheville’s transit and parking services, highlighting both successes and ongoing challenges. Residents can expect to see further discussion on the RATP Dev contract, as well as future agenda items related to transit operations analysis, arts and culture planning, resilience hub mapping, and downtown activation. For more detailed information, citizens are encouraged to visit the PEDE Committee webpage or contact Stephanie Gilliam at [email protected].