A loosely estimated 800 people came earlier this month to meet New Belgium co-workers and partners who are supporting the process of building the brewery and improving infrastructure in our community. Partners presented their collaborations with New Belgium around: bicyclist/pedestrian infrastructure, stream best management practices (BMPs), brownfield development, re-purposing deconstructed materials, bus shelters, spent grain re-use to support farmers and innovative technology, as well as the nuts and bolts of brewery design and truck routing.
The room was full to the gills at Isis Restaurant + Music Hall and if you weren’t able to get to the event or had a difficult time accessing information, here is a list of partners and summary of how they are working with New Belgium. See this story and video from the Asheville Citizen Times as well.
SUSTAINABILITY
Old World Architectural + Salvage Company
Old World created a thorough inventory of all reusable materials on the site and suggested applications for reuse. The Asheville-based business is responsible for overseeing the deconstruction process, making sure materials are removed and stored in such a manner that they can be reused in the New Belgium Liquid Center, bus shelters and future community projects.
WNC Communities
New Belgium has committed to sell their spent grain to WNC Communities at below market prices in order to enable them to create a Regional Brewers Grain Alliance to collect brewers spent grain, deliver to local small family farmers at below market prices. Overall goal—to preserve small family farms by subsidizing their feed costs and freeing up land to grow cash crops of greater value than cattle feed, e.g., biomass for biofuels. $10,000 donation
Bent Creek Institute
New Belgium has pledged an investment in their venture to develop proof of concept of technology to extract a high-value cellulose used by neutriceutical and gluten-free industries from spent grain prior to being used for feed. This investment supports biofuel, neutriceutical, brewing and farming industries in Western North Carolina.
RiverLink
Part of RiverLink’s mission is the reclamation of watersheds and sub watersheds within the French Broad River watershed. The New Belgium project offers RiverLink an opportunity to work with New Belgium to
reclaim a sub watershed that travels right through the brewery site on Craven Street. The funding RiverLink was awarded from the Clean Water Trust Fund enables the City of Asheville to install a number of stormwaterBMPs (Best Management Practices), permeable pavers, and information kiosks to describe how best to treat storm water and implement a model stream restoration project.
COMMUNITY + BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Asheville on Bikes
In 2009, before New Belgium invested in building a brewery, they invested in advancing our public space and bicycle connectivity by partnering with Asheville on Bikes as a Clips of Faith partner. As New Belgium’s first Asheville partner, the funds AOB generated at that event helped to purchase the Waller Track which has grown to be known as the Hominy Creek Greenway. As a Clips of Faith partner and a member of New Belgium’s Leaders Roundtable, AOB continues to partner with New Belgium to expand and improve bicycle transportation and celebration.
Connect Buncombe
New Belgium has provided funds to assist Connect Buncombe in our outreach with the public of Buncombe County to gather opinions of greenway investment and to provide outreach and education of the benefits of greenways. They will be working with their planning partners: the municipalities within the County and non-profits that dedicate time and effort towards greenway issues to solidify our efforts for outreach and fundraising in a more unified manner.
Asheville Design Center
ADC is a design nonprofit that will be working with residents and businesses near the New Belgium site to design and build a bus shelter at the corner of Haywood Road and Craven Street. ADC will engage the community to gather research, record oral histories, scan historic photographs and collect stories that reflect the rich history of the Stockyard site and surrounding neighborhood. ADC designers will use this material to inform three draft conceptual designs for the bus shelter. The public will then have an opportunity to vote on their favorite design. This project is supported by New Belgium Brewing and the City of Asheville.
Green Opportunities
GO has been at the table with New Belgium from the beginning finding ways to connect sub-contractors with skilled and under-employed workers through GO. Green Opportunities is also a member of New Belgium’s Leaders Roundtable providing community insight and guidance to the process of moving to Asheville.
Low Elevation Aerial Photo
Ken Abbott is creating a photo document of the former Asheville Stockyards using portraiture, landscape, and low elevation aerial photography. He is developing plans to exhibit the photographs in the River Arts District.
Economic Development Coalition
Throughout the company site search process on the East Coast, the EDC led the marketing and recruitment effort for the greater Asheville Community. Throughout a 12 month process, the EDC connected New Belgium to necessary expertise and advice, governmental and community resources, local partnerships and regional workforce development initiatives that laid the foundation for selection of the Asheville Community from more than 20 competing cities.
West Asheville Business Association/ Haywood Road Corridor Committee
A member of New Belgium’s Leaders Roundtable, the West Asheville Business Association (WABA) is a collection of small businesses located west of the French Broad River with the common goal of improving our community. Formed in 1950, the organization has helped to shape and support the West Asheville community through numerous safety, beautification, development and marketing projects. The addition of New Belgium Brewing to our community expands the possibilities of these projects.
The Haywood Road Corridor Committee is an inclusive community group dedicated to promoting responsible growth and development along Haywood Road. With extensive community input a Haywood Road Vision Plan has been developed which proposes guidelines for future development along the road. The vision plan will be presented to City Council for approval soon and follow up work towards a form-based code for the corridor is expected to start this year. New Belgium Brewing’s parallel community focus is helpful as West Asheville moves forward in this process.
Asheville Area Riverfront Redevelopment Coalition
The Asheville Area Riverfront Redevelopment Commission has made land use recommendations to local and state government that have helped New Belgium to locate in Asheville. The purpose of the commission is to support the creation of a vibrant riverfront. The AARRC has collaborated as a leader at the New Belgium Community Leader Roundtable meetings to hear concerns and recommend appropriate actions to our appointing bodies. They support the community’s recommendations which have included: added pedestrian/bike amenities on Haywood Road, the study of alternate truck routes, and prioritizing parts of RAD TIP that will help diversify the vehicle routes to and from West Asheville and the RAD.
The Riverside Drive Strategic Plan will focus on finding the highest and best use for city-owned property directly across the French Broad River from the New Belgium site. The AARRC sees tremendous value in the community process spearheaded by New Belgium’s Leader Roundtable meetings and we will continue to partner with the City of Asheville to create a land use plan that enhances the mission of our regional riverfront.
AB Tech
ABTech introduces their new Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast. AB Tech provides progressive workforce solutions to train future and current employees to be a productive, fulfilled and skilled resource within New Belgium’s workforce, as well as the workforces of breweries across the Southeast.
Pollinate Collaborations
Pollinate builds relationships and has been supporting outreach and communications around New Belgium’s transition to Asheville, including: strategizing and nurturing the New Belgium Leaders Roundtable Coalition, event planning, relationship development, and media outreach.
INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERSHIPS
City of Asheville
The City of Asheville will make the following critical public infrastructure enhancements to support New Belgium’s $175 million investment in Asheville:
· Multi-modal roadway Improvements
· Greenway Design and Construction (RiverWay Connector Segment)
· Low Impact Parking Lot and Stormwater Management Area
· Five Points Intersection Improvement
· Waterline Upgrade – Craven Street
· Stormwater Mitigation (West Asheville/Waynesville Avenue watershed)
Adolfson & Peterson Construction
They are the general contractor working directly with New Belgium to build the facility.
Perkins + Will
They are the design partner of the new East Coast Brewery. Along with New Belgium, their goal for the project is to provide an innovative, ecologically responsible and beautiful brewery.
Equinox Environmental
Equinox is providing sustainable design services for the site such as the design for the greenway, innovative stormwater treatment, stream restoration, and assistance with some of the landscape architecture aspects of the project.
Hart Hickman
They are providing environmental consulting for beneficial reuse of a brownfields site.