Hood Huggers International

09/16/2026

Back in 2010, the Burton Street Community Association partnered with the Asheville Design Center on a community plan aimed at protecting the neighborhood through the I-26 highway expansion. That plan laid the groundwork for the 2018 Burton Street Neighborhood Plan, which spelled out specific strategies for the creek: a pedestrian path connecting Buffalo Street to Patton Avenue, a new park and community gathering space right at Smith Mill Creek, and a feasibility study for a greenway along it.

The map in this photo is straight from the City's latest implementation report (October 2025) — it shows the proposed Smith Mill Creek Greenway route tracing the top edge of the neighborhood, with the three connected strategies marked in blue (1.3.2), yellow (2.3.1), and pink (2.3.2). It's not a finished design, just an approximate look at where things are headed — but it's proof the plan is still moving.

And it is moving: in November 2024, Asheville voters approved bond funding that named the Smith Mill Creek Greenway a priority project. A feasibility and design study is set to begin in 2026.

None of this happens on its own. It happens because Burton Street residents have kept showing up — to design meetings, to community walks, to City Council — for fifteen years and counting. Here's to seeing it through. 🌱

Support Blue Note Junction to deepen our impact of healing and building the hoods. Link in bio fist ✊

Source: Burton Street Neighborhood Plan Implementation Report (2025)

09/15/2026

The chamber of commerce wasn’t the only place asking Dewayne for art on their doorstep.

The double crown, a well know bar on Haywood road in the rapidly developing West Asheville corridor, commissioned an original Dewayne Barton piece for its entrance. At the time, he was the only black artist with work installed on that stretch of haywood road- the neighborhoods main commercial drag.

Representation isn't just a seat at the table. It's a permanent installation — art that preserves our ancestors' stories while building profit and power for our community. That's CAP

Support the Blue note junction, link in bio

09/15/2026

Being invited to the table doesn't guarantee the table was built for you.

That's part of why CAP exists. Back in 2021, Hood Huggers joined a coalition of local partners behind a community solar initiative, working alongside organizations focused on workforce development in clean energy. It was a good example of what's possible when groups come together - and a reminder that reaching the people who need it most takes intention, not just good intentions.

That's the heart of the work: supporting Black-owned business so the next generation has something to build on, and so the whole community - not just one part of it - comes out stronger.

This is why we stay in these arenas for the long haul, not just the launch. Book a tour, support the hustles of the hoods - link in bio.

09/08/2026

08/28/2026

We’re still dreaming and practicing on how we’re gonna bring hot tubs to the hood! Just one of the elements of Blue Note Junction

To support the vision and contribute to Blue Note Junction, visit the website below.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/help-build-the-blue-note-junction

08/23/2026

Every spring and fall, the Peace Gardens hold a plant and flower sale so neighbors can start their own gardens without starting from zero.

There's a donation bin by the gate that reads "take what you need, leave what you can." Folks without gardens still get home-grown vegetables. Folks with a little extra leave it behind for the next person.
That's the whole philosophy: build wealth locally, grow food locally, heal locally.

Swing by the Peace Gardens soon. And if you've never taken a Hood Tour — now's the time. Link in bio 🌱

08/21/2026

HHF Build Back Stronger we are going places checking out the team at SEEED!