ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — In the latest update on the controversial University of North Carolina Asheville Millennial Campus project, the university has announced an advisory committee that will shepherd the initiative to its next phase of development. Following the news, the committee roster has received criticism from project opponents like Save the Woods.

Developing the Millennial Campus Development Advisory Committee

The Millennial Campus Development Advisory Committee, “a group charged with making recommendations for future development on the University’s Millennial Campus properties,” was announced on Tuesday, Jan. 27 in a UNC Asheville press release.

The committee, led by co-chairs Peter Heckman, the vice chair of the UNC Asheville Board of Trustees, and Adam Walters, a UNC Asheville alum and assistant director of the Pappas Real Estate Development Program at North Carolina State University, includes members like Lou Bissette, a former mayor of Asheville, and Victoria Isley, the president and CEO of Explore Asheville. The committee will work alongside advisors from urban development firm HR&A Advisors, Inc., but will operate independently from UNC Asheville administration through the UNC Asheville Endowment Fund Board.

The committee will meet for private, monthly workshops through May 2026, after which HR&A will “synthesize the Committee’s recommendations into the Millennial Campus Action Plan” for review by university officials.

According to the UNC Asheville release, “the Committee’s role will be to support a thoughtful, transparent evaluation of options that can help ensure UNC Asheville’s long-term sustainability and future” as the university seeks to develop 200 acres of land designated as part of the Millennial Campus. 

The acreage includes a nearby urban forest in the Five Points neighborhood of North Asheville, the development of which has received significant pushback from members of the community, including local activist group Save the Woods, Asheville City Council member Kim Roney and UNC Asheville students.

Read about the UNC Asheville walkout in support of Save the Woods

In the release, UNC Asheville Chancellor Kimberly van Noort said that the university had “heard clearly from stakeholders across the University and the region that possible future development must be evaluated with care,” and said that “this Committee will provide structured, balanced guidance that honors UNC Asheville’s educational mission, our commitment to environmental stewardship and our responsibility to be good neighbors.”

However, in a press release earlier today, Save the Woods expressed discontent with the direction of the committee, citing concerns over its transparency, roster and inclusivity.

Save the Woods dissents

“Save the Woods expresses profound disappointment in UNC Asheville’s announcement of its Millennial Campus Development Advisory Committee,” the group wrote in the Friday, Jan. 30 release. “While the committee was heralded as an independent, transparent, inclusive mechanism for deliberation on future development of Millennial Campus properties, the composition and structure of the group fall well short of meeting any of those aims.”

Save the Woods shared frustration over a lack of “Asheville community members, neighborhood association leaders or organizers from Save the Woods” on the committee board, “despite our sustained engagement and leadership on this issue,” including 16,000 petition signatures accrued in support of preserving the Five Points acreage from development.

Save the Woods suggested that UNC Asheville leaders and the Millennial Campus Committee “reassess the committee’s composition and to adopt a framework that genuinely reflects public input, environmental stewardship and community accountability.”

“Furthermore, we call on our local political leaders to stand behind their previous statements and join us in urging UNCA to reconsider moving forward with this exclusive, secretive, untrustworthy attempt to add a veneer of legitimacy on its deeply unpopular Millennial Campus plans,” the group concluded in their release.

Member roster of the Millennial Campus Committee

Chairs

• Peter Heckman, former president and CEO of the Horace Mann Educators Corporation and vice chair of the UNC Asheville Board of Trustees
• Adam Walters, assistant director of Pappas Real Estate Development Program at NC State University and an UNC Asheville alumnus

Members

• Lou Bissette, of counsel with McGuire Wood & Bissette P.A., former mayor of Asheville, former Chair of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors and a trustee of UNC Asheville
• Kelly Davis, vice president of Mortgage Lending at Park National Bank and secretary of the UNC Asheville Board of Trustees
• Stephen De May, former North Carolina President of Duke Energy Corporation and a trustee of UNC Asheville
• Victoria Isley, president and CEO of Explore Asheville, Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority
• Dr. Keith Krumpe, the interim dean of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences and a senior administrator of Space Planning at UNC Asheville
• Rick Lutovsky, the former CEO of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce
• Lakesha McDay, president of The Moriah Group and an UNC Asheville alumna
• Chuck McGrady, former executive director of the North Carolina Youth Camp Association, former national president of the Sierra Club and a former North Carolina State Representative
• David Meyer, senior financial advisor and managing director of Wells Fargo and a trustee of UNC Asheville
• James Peterson, former CEO of Metroquip
• Nathan Ramsey, executive director of the Land of Sky Regional Council and an UNC Asheville alumnus
• Charles Tessier, director of Planning, Development and Special Projects at Tessier Real Estate Consulting