Creating a community-driven roadmap to improve quality of life and strengthen Mitchell County’s outdoor and cultural economy.
Plan Purpose
Elevate Mitchell is a community-driven initiative to create a shared vision and strategic roadmap that guides decision-making and enhances quality of life across Mitchell County. The action plan seeks to expand outdoor recreation, highlight arts and culture, foster economic growth, and ensure long-term sustainability.
Launched by the Mitchell County Tourism Development Authority (TDA)—established in 2022 to steward occupancy tax revenues from visitors—the effort channels strategic investment into quality-of-life projects. By strengthening local assets, bolstering tourism infrastructure, and creating engaging experiences, the TDA aims to attract visitors while enriching everyday life for residents.
As Mitchell County continues to recover from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene in September 2024, Elevate Mitchell will serve as a catalyst for resilience—helping to build a stronger county that honors its natural beauty, creative spirit, and cultural heritage.
Goals
ASSETS: Assess and inventory the existing tourism assets in Mitchell County and evaluate their current condition and ability to provide for a quality visitor experience for all users.
PARTNERS: Engage and collaborate with government entities, community leaders, and the public to identify public capital infrastructure projects currently being planned and developed, which will also enhance the visitor experience.
GAPS: Identify new, compelling tourism-infrastructure projects to further the County’s visitor brand position.
UNITY: Identify projects that also help achieve broader community goals, such as young adult and workforce retention, small business growth, environmental stewardship, and active living.
VISUAL: Develop a 15-year action plan that captures community interest and inspires a shared vision by creating compelling renderings, site master plans, 3D illustrations, and other graphics to effectively communicate recommendations and ideas.
STRATEGY: Provide the Mitchell County TDA and their partners with clear strategies and a prioritization schedule for implementing the plan recommendations.
Process
1.
Research and Preliminary Analysis
The consultant team will hold a direction-setting meeting with the project steering committee to discuss key opportunities and constraints, develop a database of existing tourism assets, and conduct an extensive field analysis to assess the County’s assets.
2.
Stakeholder and Public Engagement
Host interviews and focus groups with government officials and community leaders to gather insights. Create a promotional video and leverage social media to encourage public participation in an online survey. Develop a dedicated project website to serve as an information hub throughout the planning process.
3.
Plan Development
Guided by the steering committee, stakeholders, and community input, the consultant team will develop a framework outlining preliminary recommendations for enhancing and expanding quality-of-life assets. Following this, the team will initiate a second round of public engagement, including a public forum, to gather further feedback.
4.
Final Plan Development
The final 15-year action plan will encompass all recommendations, a detailed phasing schedule and an outline of potential grant funding sources. The plan will be made publicly accessible on the project website.
