People at Work: The woman behind Asheville’s greenways

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — People at Work: Asheville’s Greenway Champion Trades City Hall for New Adventures

For more than a decade, if a new greenway, sidewalk connection or trail project was taking shape in Asheville, chances are Lucy Crown had a hand in it.

Now, after more than 20 years of public service between the city and count, Crown is preparing to retire June 1, closing one chapter of a career that has helped shape how residents walk, bike and connect with their communities.

For Crown, though, retirement doesn’t mean slowing down.

The Asheville native, entrepreneur, artist and transportation planner already has a full slate of projects waiting, including helping run a new coffee shop in Woodfin and returning to some of the artistic pursuits that launched her first career.

“I’ve been lucky enough to be able to retire early,” Crown said. “This year has taught me that life is very short. I just want to do new things.”

From art restoration to transportation planning

Long before she became one of Asheville’s leading advocates for greenways and pedestrian connections, Crown was restoring decorative artwork in historic buildings across the country.

A graduate of Asheville High School and the University of North Carolina Asheville, she spent years working on decorative painting and restoration projects in state capitols, churches and other historic structures.

The work often required months away from home.

“I got tired of the traveling,” she said. “I wanted something a little more stable.”

In her 30s, Crown returned to school and earned a master’s degree in planning. She initially intended to focus on historic preservation planning but quickly discovered another passion.

“I loved transportation, particularly non-vehicular transportation like greenways and sidewalks and bikes,” she said.

That realization eventually led her into public service and, in 2015, to the city of Asheville, where she was hired as the city’s greenway planner.

Building connections

Crown joined the city to support the River Arts District Transportation Improvement Project, commonly known as RADTIP. Over the years, she became one of the driving forces behind Asheville’s growing network of greenways, trails and pedestrian improvements.

In 2022, she led development of the city’s GAP Plan — short for greenways, ADA transition and pedestrian networks — an effort that combined three major planning initiatives into one comprehensive blueprint aimed at making Asheville safer, more accessible and more connected.

Later that year, she was promoted to Transportation Planning Manager, overseeing implementation of the GAP Plan and helping launch the AVL Unpaved Alliance natural-surface trail program.

While many of the projects she worked on remain years from completion, Crown said she takes pride in helping move them forward.

“Greenways are a little tough because they take a really long time to get into the ground,” she said. “From the beginning of work to the end can be decades sometimes. But it feels really good to have the opportunity to move the needle.”

Among the accomplishments she cites most proudly are completing the GAP Plan and helping advance a new generation of natural-surface trails that are expected to begin construction this year.

Challenges along the way

Like many public servants, Crown says some of the biggest challenges have been navigating government bureaucracy and securing funding.

More recently, recovery efforts following Tropical Storm Helene dramatically changed the focus of her work.

“Everyone at the city had to really focus on recovery,” she said.

Still, she noted that many of Asheville’s greenways weathered the storm remarkably well, sustaining less damage than some expected.

The experience marked the second major flood recovery effort of her public-service career.

A hometown mission

For Crown, perhaps the most rewarding part of her work has been doing it in the city she has always called home.

Born and raised in Asheville, she says working to improve transportation options and public spaces for neighbors, friends and family made the job especially meaningful.

“I love being able to work on projects for the town I live in, which is also my hometown,” she said. “My family lives here. Friends from grade school are here.”

She believes greenways, sidewalks and trails do more than connect destinations — they help connect people to their communities.

Living and working in cities around the country during her restoration career reinforced that lesson.

“The more sidewalks and greenways they had, the more connected I felt to that city,” Crown said. “The more fun it was to live there.”

What’s next?

Crown’s final day with the city is Monday. After that, she plans to focus on family, community and entrepreneurship.

She and her husband recently opened the Woodfin Coffee Department, and she also has a long history as a local business owner. She opened Fired Up on Wall Street and co-owned an ice cream shop on Haywood Road.

Before diving fully into her next ventures, however, Crown says she hopes to enjoy something simple.

“I need a hard reset,” she said. “To quiet my brain, get away from my pet projects here and stop thinking about the 9-to-5 grind.”

As for Asheville, she’s not going anywhere.

“It’s my hometown,” Crown said. “And I’m going to stay here forever.”