New mixed-use development proposed for Asheville River Arts District

Five-story building on Riverside Drive could have 150 to 170 apartments

This architectural rendering shows the proposed design of a new mixed-used project proposed for 159 Riverside Dr. in the Asheville River Arts District.

Note: This story sponsored by Citizens Fuel Co., a family-owned Asheville company.

ASHEVILLE A new mixed-use development proposed for the Asheville River Arts District would bring up to 170 apartments, as well as 10,000 square feet of commercial space, including artist studios, retail and restaurant space, to 159 Riverside Drive.

During a Zoom call earlier this week, developer Brennan Smith and his Asheville-based attorney, Wyatt Stevens, detailed plans for the 2.5-acre strip of land that was once home to a large cotton mill. The mill burned to the ground in a massive 1995 blaze. A small brick building and landmark smokestack are all that remains of the mill, and would be incorporated into the new building.

The proposal arrives as development activity gains momentum in the RAD. This spring will mark the completion of a multi-million infrastructure project that’s transformed a 2.2-mile stretch roadway along Riverside Drive/Lyman Street and that observers see as speeding a growth boom not unlike what’s occurred on the Asheville South Slope over the past five years or so.

Here are highlights from the call with Smith and Stevens:

• Property and process: The project, referred to simply as 159 Riverside Dr. for now (they’ll be seeking public input on a name), will seek Asheville City Council approval for a variance from rules that limit development density. Rules in place a cap of 50 residential units on new construction, and they limit the height of new buildings at 70 feet. Smith says he needs the increased density to offset some major limitations to the site’s development potential: a Norfolk Southern Railroad line runs adjacent to the east side of the property and its right-of-way extends into the property; Duke Energy power lines run along the property’s western border and extend the company’s right-of-way extends into the property footprint; the land is a designated brownfield, with a number of soil contaminants identified on the site; the property sits in a floodplain. Smith held a neighborhood meeting this week to talk with RAD property owners and stakeholders. He says he’s aiming for a March 17 submittal to the Asheville Technical Review Committee, the first step in the city’s development bureaucracy.

• More about the property: The nonprofit RiverLink owns the property, which it acquired from the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County.

• RiverLink’s role: RiverLink is selling 159 Riverside Dr. in combination with 144 Riverside, a 1.2-acre tract across the road, for $3.5 million. RiverLink has said that it wants a buyer willing to build “in a river-friendly manner that conforms to our river-friendly values such as demonstrating best practices in stormwater management and environmental sustainability.” Proceeds from the sale will go toward RiverLink’s clean water, land conservation and environmental education initiatives, it says, as well as toward the Karen Cragnolin Park and Woodfin Greenway & Blueway projects. RiverLink says it may also use some of the proceeds to renovate its nearby Warehouse Studio space, which is home to its offices, as well as a number of artist studios.

• Project highlights: Smith, a Florida general contractor who hails from Indiana, says the building will have ground-level parking to move its first floor out of the floodplain. Parking will also be available across the street at 144 Riverside Dr. (He’s considering offering some public parking - the area is already feeling a parking crunch - but that hasn’t been decided.) Apartments will be studio, one- and two-bedroom. The first floor features open deck space for a restaurant to offer indoor/outdoor dining. Smith says a liner system will be used to mitigate the brownfield’s contaminated soil. There are plans for a rainwater catchment system, and Smith says he’s considering installing solar panels on the building’s roof. The remaining mill building on site will be renovated to serve as the building’s main entrance. It will feature a green roof and may include an event space and/or an art gallery. The old smokestack will be restored, and could serve as signage or a lighted feature, Smith says. A small but beloved labyrinth on the property could me moved across the road to 144 Riverside Dr., he adds.

• Affordable housing: Asheville City Council has required developers with projects coming to them to offer some aspect of affordable housing. Smith and Stevens said they know the issue “will be on the agenda” as they work through the city approval process, but Smith says he hasn’t settled on what he’s prepared to offer. He mentioned one idea he said he’s considered but not fond of: seeking approval to build higher than the 5-story limit to be able to offer more affordable units. Another idea: build in some affordable live/work units for artists, or other affordable space for artists.

• Background: Today’s River Arts District is an area that developed as a bustling industrial district along the French Broad River starting in the 1800s. The district languished as old industries died or moved on. By the 1970s, it was home to sagging tobacco warehouses and dirty junkyards. In 1986, the nonprofit group RiverLink was founded to promote the environmental and economic vitality of the river. A group of pioneering artists found a foothold in the neighborhood in the 1990s. Fast-forward to 2021, and artists are finding themselves starting to be priced out of the neighborhood as new development moves in.