City of Asheville is looking for a Project Manager for the Pack Square Plaza Project
The City of Asheville and Buncombe County are partnering to document the community’s vision for the future of Pack Square Plaza, including the site where the Vance Monument was previously located, and we need a talented Project Manager to help make that happen. A request for proposals (RFP) from qualified applicants to manage the project we go live today. The Project Manager will ultimately be responsible for producing a Vision Document that captures the community’s perspectives on this area. It should include detailed guidance on how the design, programming, and management of the space can become more equitable and inclusive for all residents and visitors, and include strategies that support the achievement of that vision.
Our Vision for Pack Square Plaza
This project is a continuation of work launched by the signing of a joint resolution of the County Commission and City Council to create the Vance Monument Task Force in the summer of 2020. The findings of that initiative led to the signing of a City Council resolution in March 2021 to remove the monument, and to the dedication of funds to a planning process for the future of the site.
The Project Manager’s first tasks will be to finalize a communications and engagement plan that activates diverse individuals, groups and organizations across Buncombe County. To ensure success, this plan must also identify additional help needed from the fields of community organizing, communications, public art, planning, design, history, and parks and recreation. A collaborative community engagement and planning process is anticipated to begin in April of this year and last 6-9 months.
The Friends of Buncombe County Special Collections and Asheville’s Public Art and Cultural Commission are helping to kick-start this effort. In order to ensure the process can hit the ground running in April, these groups will reinterpret and refresh the existing Pack Square models displayed at the Pack Memorial Library, create an online directory of resources that revisit the site’s history and create a new narrative for Pack Square Plaza and open a temporary public art, history, and culture program that encourages diverse interpretations of the past, present and future of the plaza through inclusive programming.
Where to apply:
The deadline for submitting proposals to the Project Manager RFP is Friday, February 11. Interested parties can find the advertisement on the City’s bid page:
Questions about the position or the project can be sent to Steph Monson Dahl from the City’s Urban Design and Place Strategies division sdahl@ashevillenc.gov