What to Like About IMAGINE Morganton 2040 So Far
With two public workshops next week, IMAGINE Morganton 2040 has already displayed encouraging results for the city's new master plan.
MORGANTON, North Carolina—A promising vision is developing for the nearly 18,000 people who call this Appalachian town their home, at least according to initial feedback received as the new municipal plan enters its planning phase.
Next week, IMAGINE Morganton 2040 will host two identical workshops aimed at gathering further input from residents. Participants will help shape the vision and planning principles that will guide the next two phases of the project.
Workshop attendees will also evaluate growth options and the future of central roadways in Morganton.
Both public workshops will be held at the Morganton City Hall (305 East Union Street) on Tuesday, October 24th from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, and Wednesday, October 25th from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Residents are invited to attend only one.
We’re still learning about what kind of future Morgantonians want. But there’s a lot to like, even if no meaningful changes have materialized yet.
Morganton Residents Want a Walkable City With Growth Concentrated Around Downtown
In preparation for the Planning Phase of Morganton 2040, you can read the engagement results from Phase 1. All in all, it paints a promising picture.
When a 29-member advisory committee was asked to put what they love about Morganton into one word, several responses stood out: community, nature, family-friendly, resiliency, growth, workers, accessibility, diversity, and greenways.
However, several obstacles loom large.
Morganton’s Biggest Challenges
The community's biggest challenges pertain to youth outreach/enrichment, housing, infrastructure, and transportation. Morgantonians feel there are simply “not enough options for youth” and understand young people lack sufficient reasons to stay in Burke County after they graduate high school or to return after college.
As for housing, wages have stagnated while there isn’t enough residential inventory, of any kind, not to overlook the increasing number of people experiencing homelessness.
For those who live outside city limits, many have limited access to sewage and water, and public transportation within Morganton is sparse and inconsistent.
As downtown thrives or stagnates, so does Morganton, and its residents know it. Restaurants and shops are forced to keep few open hours during the week due to a shortage of qualified workers and low wages. And there aren’t enough restaurants to meet the demand of residents hungering for greater food options.
Obstacles notwithstanding, hope springs eternal for those involved in the master plan process thus far.
Manageable Growth, Strong Neighborhoods, and Diverse Housing Options
If you’ve been concerned with the number of empty storefronts downtown, value the variety of parks and outdoor opportunities in “nature’s playground,” and want to balance history with progress, then you’ll find Morganton’s future looks to be in good hands.
The advisory committee had the following to say during the initial knowledge-gathering phase:
“Growth management should incorporate principles of environmental protection and sustainability.”
“[It’s important to] have many opportunities for those who want to come back to their hometown.”
“Close-knit neighborhoods where people know their neighbors is critical for a strong community.”
“Housing is a big issue, from homelessness, to high-end, to everywhere in between. I think we have the right people at the table to help tackle this.”
“Transit is a challenge in smaller towns and [needs] direct funding to keep it going.”
“Buildings that have been vacant for years . . . need to be addressed.”
“Morganton is beautiful and historic and needs to find a way to balance respecting the history while embracing and adapting to new cultural influences.”
“[Natural beauty] is Morganton’s guaranteed selling point.... [We] must help protect and preserve this natural beauty…for future generations…and to attract tourists.”
Interactive Map Results
Residents were also given several weeks to identify “weak places” and “areas for opportunity,” through an interactive online survey.
Weak places included vacant buildings downtown, the Confederate Monument (which continues to generate controversy), the soon-to-be-fixed sinkhole off the Route 64 bypass, and the presence of the Case Farms plant (and its sometimes atrocious aroma).
As far as areas for opportunity go, the vacant field next to Fairfield Inn downtown, the Industrial Commons’ Innovation Campus, and potential upgrades to Bethel Park were near the top of the list.
The Bright Spots
As I combed through the Phase 1 Engagement Summary, several encouraging themes jumped out:
A place where communitarian values can take root. Participants love Morganton’s friendly, community-oriented atmosphere and small-town feel. Most people agree with growing in a way that preserves Morganton’s character.
A commitment to sustainability and smart urbanism. Residents value Morganton’s downtown, the city’s parks, and the natural scenery surrounding the city. Respondents also agree that the city should continue providing plenty of trails and paths, such as the newly christened Oak Hills Community Park and Forest.
A sense of place, gentle density, and pluralism. One featured commenter expressed their hopes this way: “Maintaining a strong sense of place and local community. Multiculturalism and fostering a meaningful culture of inclusion and tolerance. Walkability and gentle density. Architecture styles that are traditional and rhyme with the local vernacular.”
Balanced growth and more housing. Participants are eager for balanced growth in Morganton but want to avoid maximum growth for the city, echoing a desire for more housing and well-paying jobs. One commentator believes “we need to grow, at a moderate pace, while another thinks “too much growth would cause Morganton to lose its small-town atmosphere and bring crowds and traffic.”
Preserve character while focusing on growth downtown. Nearly 50% of respondents feel that growth preserving the city’s character is most important and more than 25% believe most growth should occur near downtown. More than 25% of respondents think an economic strategy that preserves the unique character of Morganton is most important.
A more walkable city. Most participants agree that Morganton’s housing strategy should create more walkable places, increase the availability of options at a variety of price points, and support existing and future employment needs. Most participants agree Morganton should be a more walkable place, with safe and easy ways to travel around town. The return of passenger rail to the area should help with that.
No chains or strip malls. Participants also expressed a strong disinterest in franchise chains and strip malls while advocating for local restaurants, adaptive reuse, and a mixed-use center. This reinforces notions of walkability and localism championed at Common Appalachian.
Embrace and celebrate diversity. Morgantonians expressed a need to embrace and celebrate the city’s diversity, including the demand for more doctors and services that can serve the Spanish-speaking community. In fact, roughly 23.9% of the population identifies as Hispanic. Others want to ensure the d/Deaf community is integrated and accommodated, as well.
So, we’re still in the early stages of Morganton 2040, but what we’ve seen so far leaves a lot for residents to remain hopeful.