TO: Boosting the Block Stakeholders

DATE: March 31, 2026

PREPARED BY: Margaret A. Brunson & Brittany Bennett Weston, Community Facilitators

SUBJECT: Exciting Boosting the Block Updates!

Welcome to the latest update for the Boosting the Block project! 

As the City of Asheville staff continue their process to select a design team for the Eagle and Market Streets Enhancement project, we are continuing to support the neighborhood identity projects and conduct engagement meetings with community stakeholders.

Project Updates

• Custom Bench Installation: We are collaborating with Echoes of the Forest, the City of Asheville, YMI Cultural Center, and the Asheville Downtown Improvement District (ADID) to finalize the process to install a signature bench handcrafted by local artisan Kwadwo Som-Pimpong of Crafted Glory.

• Vision Translation: Our artist/creative strategist, Julianna Chioma, is moving through her process to translate community engagement input into design concepts that will be shared with the contracted design team.

• Neighborhood Identity Banners: Artist Tommy Lee McGhee is designing the light pole banners for The Block. These banners will enhance visibility and identity of The Block, helping portray and celebrate its past, present and future. 

Upcoming Events & Engagement Opportunities

Ujamaa Marketplace on The Block

Ujamaa Marketplace, organized by YMI Cultural Center and other partners, will take place on the First Saturdays April and May from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and all day on Juneteenth on South Market Street between S. Pack Square and Eagle Street. This series supports and serves as a testing ground for a key goal of the Boosting the Block project - to implement a cultural corridor on S. Market Street. The series will help inform next steps for programming and design of the corridor as part of the Boosting the Block project. 

The Ujamaa Marketplace is a vibrant and culturally rich market boasting the creativity of Black, Indigenous and other persons of the diaspora. There’s beauty and culture in this region and it often goes unseen. We aim to change that by bringing our community of artisans, crafts people, musicians, and culinary geniuses in one place. This market place will feature wellness products, plants and other home goods, apparel, art, books, food, and a workshop. 

We will continue to regularly share Boosting the Block updates and announcements about engagement events. Feel free to send an email with any questions: boostingtheblock@publicinput.com.

We invite you to also subscribe to the Eagle Market Streets Enhancements Public Input page for those specific project updates. 

With gratitude, Your Boosting the Block Community Facilitators, 

Margaret A. Brunson, PhD, MPA

Brittany Bennett Weston, MPA