The South Slope Neighborhood Association (SSNA) is a neighborhood organization formalized in December of 2015, under the leadership of former President, Mary Mayo of Catawba Brewing and Secretary Jen Gordon of Asheville Area Arts Council. Our mission is “to present a unified voice of the businesses and residents of the South Slope neighborhood, on issues that affect our community.” The diverse po
ints of view that make up our organization represent one of our greatest strengths: that businesses, residents, and property owners are working together to organize our interests, in order to create a shared future. Soon after our association’s birth, we formed the Vision Committee, charged with figuring out our purpose and our goals, led by Jael Rattigan of French Broad Chocolates. The Vision Committee sought to harness the power of community, and create a platform for everyone in our neighborhood to share their voice, and to be heard. To achieve these goals, we conceived of a Community Visioning Brainstorm. Our Community Brainstorm event took place on June 13, from 5:30-7:30. We invited people via our newsletter, our Facebook group, and through local media channels (including Mountain Xpress, Citizen Times, and Ashvegas). We were happy to have 58 community members show up, participate, and collaborate. The work of the Vision Committee has been completed, and is now bridging into the task of Branding our community. A third committee has been formed under the leadership of Janelle Wienke, of the Asheville Area Arts Council, to follow through on the goals we already stated in the Plan On A Page. You can see a copy of the Plan On A Page at this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-E43rNYlXb_dk5MLVB1bHBrVzg/view?usp=sharing
We realized the need to define ourselves both in terms of our identity and our geographical boundary, so we formed a membership committee under the leadership of Crawford Rizor of French Broad Chocolate Factory on Buxton Avenue. The South Slope Neighborhood Association has developed a map that designates SSNA boundaries, recognizing that the gateways into SSNA and the perimeter boundaries may change as the SSNA continues its journey. This area is within the Central Business District and overlaps with, but is in harmony with, the Asheville Downtown Association and DARN. Perimeter streets include Sawyer Street on the north, Short Coxe in the south, South Lexington on the east, and Coxe in the west; Banks, Buxton, Collier, and Milliard Avenues are the current heart of SSNA investment and activity. This map is a part of the Plan On A Page and can be seen at the link above. Anyone who lives, works, or owns property on the South Slope is welcome to join these important committees. Please contact:
Branding Committee: Janelle Wienke [email protected]
Membership Committee: [email protected]
