Staff reports

ASHEVILLE - The City of Asheville on Thursday announced the launch of Open City Hall, an online platform designed to engage residents in conversations about important Asheville projects and issues.

The first topic on Asheville’s Open City Hall is a survey about whether accessory dwelling units (ADUs, also known as garage apartments or granny cottages) should allowed to be used as homestays and what impact that might have on neighborhoods. Participants can read background information in an introduction and then take a brief survey.

City staff will use that public input, in addition to other traditional means, to help guide the decision-making process. Further, the City of Asheville aims to engage residents by providing them information on each issue to enrich online comments and to provide more opportunities for resident interaction and engagement.

“This tool gives residents the opportunity to participate in the decisions that shape our community from the privacy and convenience of their own home," said Dawa Hitch, director of Communications and Public Engagement. "We want the public to be part of the process, and they’re online.”

Registration is quick and easy, though not required to participate. “We encourage participants to register, as the information really helps us identify where comments are coming from,” said communications specialist Polly McDaniel, the primary liaison for Open City Hall. “With registration, we can sort input from Asheville residents versus input from someone who doesn’t even live in North Carolina, for example.”

Other topics under consideration for future use on Open City Hall include the city’s upcoming comprehensive plan update and the future of the Haywood Street and Page Avenue properties. The city plans to stagger roll-out of topics, rather than post a lot of them all at once.

Find Open City Hall online at www.ashevillenc.gov/OpenCityHall.

The CAPE office is working with Peak Democracy to create this engagement initiative. Peak Democracy, a nonpartisan company based in California, developed the online platform. To learn more about the company, visit www.peakdemocracy.com.