On Thursday, February 10, Hendersonville Green Drinks welcomes MountainTrue Healthy Communities Program Director Chris Joyell. Joyell will speak about the principles of “smart growth” and ways we can make our cities and towns more livable. This special edition Green Drinks is the first of a four part series entitled Good Growth Makes Good Sense, designed to focus on Henderson County’s current planning process and the importance of public participation in  the 2045 Comprehensive Plan. The special series will run monthly through May.

The state projects that in the next 25 years, over 39,000 people will move to Henderson County. To put that in perspective, that’s more than the current populations of Hendersonville, Flat Rock, Fletcher, Laurel Park and Mills River combined. Housing experts estimate that these newcomers will require 17,000 new homes. Where will these homes be built? Can our roads absorb this influx of new residents? How can we preserve our rural heritage while building town centers that people love?

Using Smart Growth Principles as a guide, Joyell will explore these questions against the backdrop of the ongoing Comprehensive Planning effort, which will inform the next 25 years of growth and development in Henderson County. He will discuss how we can realize a vision for growth that encourages economic development, respects our natural resources and agricultural heritage, and enhances our quality of life for generations to come.

Chris Joyell has led the Healthy Communities program at MountainTrue since 2017. Prior to that, he served as Director of the Asheville Design Center, where he connected volunteer designers with projects that promote healthy, vibrant and equitable communities.

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