Greenways + Beer =

Private/Public Partnership

Equinox Environmental Consultation & Design, Inc.

Carolina Thread Trail 6th Annual Trail Forum

• Recreation/Tourism- European model of beer gardens connected by bike paths. • Economic Benefits- Business Relocation/New Business Ventures. • Make for a Happier Community.

Why Greenways &

Breweries are a good match

Photo Credit: Bill Rhoades at Mountain Xpress Photo Credit: Bill Rhoades at Mountain Xpress

Photo Credit: Bill Rhoades Mountain Xpress

• 180 beer gardens of varying sizes in and around Munich, Germany • Many beer gardens are accessible by trails • Big business as 6 Million visit beer gardens just during Oktoberfest

The Model: European Beer Garden

Munich-English Garden: Chinese

Tower Beer Garden

Munich- Augustiner Keller Beer Garden

• Asheville breweries and brewery-related business help boost the $2 billion per year tourism industry in Western North Carolina. • Breweries and the thriving culinary industry work together to promote each other. • Provides another layer and another reason for people to stay longer and plan a return visit.

Positive Economic Impact

Beer & Bike Tours • What: A bicycle tour company that offers bike tours that stop at local breweries. • Where: Various tours across Colorado and Fort Collins incorporating Colorado breweries • Cost: $75 to $3,500 • www.beerandbiketours.com

New Business Ventures

Bob Williams of Beers & Bikes

Beer & Bike tour in Munich, Germany

Business Ventures

WSJ Video - Pedal Power! The Pub Crawl Bikes Into High Gear

Beer City USA

• Fourteen diverse craft breweries-more per capita than any city in the nation.

• More than 50 local beers can be enjoyed on draft and in bottles.

• Five annual beer festivals,

• A "Beer Guy" column in the local paper + beer blog

• Local beer-flavored food products.

• Beer based business ventures

Selection Criteria- A tale of

two breweries

New Belgium Selection Criteria

“New Belgium Brewing Co. picked Asheville over a list

of competitors, including Philadelphia, to build its East

Coast brewery, drawn as much by Asheville’s bike

paths and greenways as the city’s growing craft beer

scene”.

April 11 2012, Asheville Citizen Times

• Ease of shipping

• An abundance of fresh water

• A community that already supports the craft beer culture

• Quality of Life

• Recreation culture – bike trails

• Good Sanitary Sewer System

• Sustainability

Sierra Nevada Criteria

Sierra Nevada

Greenway

Image Courtesy of RiverLink

• Partnership with local nonprofits and regulatory agencies .

• 175 acres site with 1.5 miles of riverfront.

• Connecting to a larger greenway system.

New Belgium Brewing

New Belgium Brewing

City of Asheville

Economic Development

Coalition

Buncombe County

The Partnership

The Partners Roles

• Based on an in-depth search the site was chosen.

•Building and developing the site making a $175 Million dollar investment.

• They are working to become a part of the community.

New Belgium Brewing

City of Asheville

Economic Development

Coalition

Buncombe County

The Partners Roles

• Public/Private Partnership includes the City, County, & Chamber of Commerce • Recruitment & Marketing: Telling the Asheville Story

• Bringing the Site to Life with help of local business

• Locating suitable sites for development

•Early stage due diligence

New Belgium Brewing

City of Asheville

Economic Development

Coalition

Buncombe County

The Partners Roles • Assisting with due diligence evaluation of the property • Providing 2.5 Million incentives

• Developing infrastructure improvement projects investing 3.7 Million.

• Maintenance responsibilities for shared stormwater treatment • 1.5 Million in Grants - Economic Development Administration & NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund

New Belgium Brewing

City of Asheville

Economic Development

Coalition

Buncombe County

The Partners Roles

• County Provided 8.4 Million Tax Incentive

• NC State provided 1 Million Tax Incentive.

New Belgium Brewing

City of Asheville

Economic Development

Coalition

Buncombe County

The Site

The Site

Wilma Dykeman

Riverway Plan

Riverfront Plan

Wilma Dykman RiverWay

River Arts District

Public/Private Partnership

The Master Plan

New Belgium Greenway

Stormwater Management

Multi-modal

Site: French Broad River

Site: River from Future Greenway

Site: Greenway Ready

Site: Sewer Easement & Debris

Site: Steep With Debris

Site: Really Steep Slopes

Cross Sections

Time for Questions

Fred Grogan, RLA www.equinoxenvironmental.com