Answer Man: What's the 'huge' Mills River development next to the new firehouse?

Will Hofmann, Asheville Citizen Times
·2 min read

ASHEVILLE - A reader asks about the development next to the new Mills River fire station. Is it a new Trader Joe's? A theme park? Well, no, neither of those things.

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A new fire station in Mills River.
A new fire station in Mills River.

Question: Recently Mills River built a beautiful firehouse on Route 280 in Mills River. After its completion a huge building started being built to the right side of the firehouse. There is no sign outside indicating what is being built, only signage of the name of the builder. Any idea as to what is being built on this property?

Answer: While I am typically running about Asheville, waxing poetic about the latest and greatest hotel and apartment complex applications, this Mills River development is certainly on my radar.

Reader, you are correct about its size. The building is, as you write, "huge."

Sitting at approximately 112,500 square feet — nearly the size of two football fields — the development is intended to become a B&F Ceramics Design Showroom and Warehouse, along with providing two other retail leasing spaces.

While I couldn't find immediate public planning documents for the development, I did find the firm that represented B&F in the development of the lot — the Washington, D.C.-based Landmark Commercial Real Estate.

A development in Mills River is intended to become a B&F Ceramics Design Showroom and Warehouse, along with providing two other retail leasing spaces.
A development in Mills River is intended to become a B&F Ceramics Design Showroom and Warehouse, along with providing two other retail leasing spaces.

Landmark's website indicates two retail buildings — one at 21,000 square feet and another at 24,000 square feet — will be included in the development of the site, along with the primary 65,000-square-foot building.

B&F chose the location "due to its convenient and centralized proximity to their Central East, South Central, and South East customers," according to a May press release.

"As the importance of the ceramic & porcelain tile industry continues to grow, this new facility is a clear commitment to the B&F Ceramics’ Family of Distributors and is a logical step toward strengthening the company’s position to meet the growing demand of orders and well as a continued long-term strategy to provide exceptional customer service," the release continues.

B&F broke ground on the site in May, according to the release.

The development seems to be a pretty standard commercial space, with nearly 80% of the space already leased out prior to the building being complete, according to an online listing for the space. The development is set for completion sometime in Spring 2024, according to B&F Ceramics website.

A development in Mills River is intended to become a B&F Ceramics Design Showroom and Warehouse, along with providing two other retail leasing spaces.
A development in Mills River is intended to become a B&F Ceramics Design Showroom and Warehouse, along with providing two other retail leasing spaces.

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Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Answer Man: 'Huge' Mills River development coming soon? What is it?