Apartments, hotels and 'Project Aspire': 9 Asheville city projects in 2023 recapped
ASHEVILLE - From "transformational" downtown projects to apartment complexes focusing on senior living and affordable housing to hotel developments years in the making, the city of Asheville saw a big year of new developments.
In total, six new apartment complexes and two brand new hotels received approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission or City Council. This doesn't include the ambitious mixed-use project known as "Project Aspire," which had been referred to as "the largest" council had seen, and will bring 400-650 apartments, a 20-story hotel and mixed-retail space toward the east side of downtown.
If all apartment complexes are built as approved, and the towering mixed-use development dubbed "Project Aspire" is built to its fullest, 1,742 new apartments will be built as a result of 2023 planning approvals.
Of those, around 371 units — 21% — are to be deemed as affordable. Most of the affordable units — around 266 — will target those making 80% of Asheville's area median income, or AMI. Others, like the 100% affordable Star Point apartments, will focus on a range of incomes from 30% AMI to 60% AMI.
The area median income for Asheville is currently $59,500 for one person, according to the city of Asheville AMI index. Those earning 80% of Asheville's AMI earn around $47,600 for one person or $54,400 for two.
As for hotels, three new projects were approved in 2023, while a previously approved project — 72 Create Broadway — returned to seek planning revisions, and another Haywood Street hotel applied in late September — setting possible Planning and Zoning approval for early 2024.
The three freshly approved hotels — two on Carter Street and the 20-story Project Aspire hotel — could bring a total of 530 new hotel rooms as a result of 2023 planning approvals.
Each of these projects required a conditional zoning review, which requires approval from City Council, or were seeking a Level II planning review, which requires approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission and Design Review Committee.
Here's a breakdown of these nine projects, where they are located and what they might look like.
Project Aspire at 1 Oak St.
Project Aspire was the largest project reviewed by the city of Asheville in 2023. The developer aims to build apartments, a hotel, commercial space, a brand new YMCA and offices over a 10.5 acre space in downtown.
The project earned 5-2 approval from City Council after a lengthy, two session meeting on the conditional rezoning process and despite objections from the residents of the historically Black East/Valley Street neighborhood. If the 20-story hotel is built, it will likely become the tallest in the Asheville skyline — just squeezing past the Arras Hotel and Buncombe County Courthouse.
The development totals approximately 1.1 million square feet, including:
400-650 residential units.
165-300 hotel guestrooms.
133,000-250,000 square feet of office space.
75,000-120,000 square feet of commercial space.
60,000-75,000 square feet of new YMCA space, similar to its current size, but with additional amenities.
1,800 new off-street parking spaces, maximum, which includes two multistory parking garages.
The project will be reviewed in multiple phases through the city's Technical Review Committee along with needing review and approval from the city's Design Review Committee and a ministerial site plan review by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Tribute Hotel at 68 Carter St.
The Tribute Hotel at 68 Carter St. was the first of two hotels proposed by the Asheville-based Milan Hotel Group in 2023. The Tribute found unanimous approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission in September and will bring 115 new hotel rooms to Carter Street.
The project, however, also comes with an additional 24 residential units. The developer chose to donate funds to the Housing Trust Fund, which will cover the required "public benefits points." Hotels approved in the city of Asheville are required to provide Public Benefits, a program created after City Council instituted a 17-month moratorium on new hotels in 2019.
The hotel is projected to pay $4,000 per room in order to earn its certificate of occupancy — roughly $460,000 in total.
Tempo by Hilton at 22 Carter St.
Proposed just a few skips down Carter Street is the Tempo by Hilton, another Milan Hotel Group project. The design for the Tempo had significant changes during the latter planning process, seeing an entirely new design after feedback from an August Design Review Committee meeting.
The hotel was approved unanimously by the Planning and Zoning Commission in November.
The six-story hotel will come with 115 rooms, along with activated mixed-use commercial space at the bottom of the development.
Two hotels were proposed for Carter Street and another was proposed for Haywood Street in 2023. If all are built, the two intersecting roads will have a total of six hotels. Collectively, the roads are less than a mile.
Star Point at 16 Restaurant Court
Earlier in the year, the 60-unit Star Point apartments were proposed by Mountain Housing Opportunities, an Asheville-based nonprofit community development corporation whose mission is to build and improve homes with a focus on affordability.
The 60 apartments will focus on having a "mix of units at 60% to 30%" AMI, according to City Council's April 25 meeting minutes. Approximately 20% of the units — 12 — will be for youths transitioning out of foster care.
The apartments will be located just behind the Mountaineer Inn in a four-story, 58,000-square-foot building. The apartments will also include a covered picnic area, new sidewalks and a playground.
The apartments were approved unanimously during an April City Council meeting, where developers were seeking a conditional zoning review.
Long-awaited apartments at 319 Biltmore Ave.
Following a purchase and sale agreement in 2022, City Council unanimously approved the apartments at 319 Biltmore Ave. during June 27 meeting, cementing the city's first partnership with a Black developer on a city owned land development initiative.
The development had been years in the making, with the city originally purchasing the property from Duke Energy for $5.3 million in 2020. The move was made possible using voter-approved affordable housing bonds.
The new complex will bring a total of 221 units to the area, with 67 targeting those making between 60% and 80% area median income.
The complex will also include a courtyard with an outdoor movie screen, bocce ball court, a putting green, seating, a fire pit and lounge area.
The Duke at 226 Hilliard Ave.
A notable 103-unit complex, dubbed "The Duke," was approved after original plans were resubmitted by the developers in February. The plans were scaled down from an original much larger project, to a project focusing on the adaptive reuse of the 1926 building that used to house the Hayes and Lunsford Electric Co.
The site will include access from South Grove Street, along with an entry roadway. A bus stop will be relocated to be closer to the complex, and there will be 116 parking spots on site.
The project was approved unanimously during a June 7 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. As it was seeking a Level II planning approval, it did not need a vote from City Council.
Catalyst Biltmore Village at 115 Fairview Road
The 269 apartment and 12 townhome development known as Catalyst Biltmore Village was approved 5-2 by City Council during a Dec. 12 meeting, with council members Sheneika Smith and Kim Roney opposing.
The development will take the place of the antique store Screen Door, where the existing building will be demolished according to site plans.
The project proposal indicated roughly 20% of the units, or 57, will be deemed affordable for those making 80% AMI. Of those units, 29 will accept housing choice vouchers — including "Tenant-based vouchers," which typically target households making 50% AMI, according to the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville.
Apartments at 2 Butler Road
After receiving a no-go from the Planning and Zoning Commission in October, the 279-unit apartment complex at 2 Butler Road off of Lake Julian was approved in a 5-1 vote during a Dec. 12 meeting, with council member Sage Turner opposing.
According to city plans, 10% of the apartments will be designated affordable at 80% AMI or below, with 14 of those units accepting vouchers.
The project had only moved forward after a continuance from a November City Council meeting. The continuance resulted in new conditions that focused on the following:
The installation of a new solar array.
A mixture of one-, two- and three-bedroom units.
Access to the project being provided by both a driveway from Plott Place and a second full access road off the adjacent commercial property.
Bicycle-friendly signage near entry points.
Senior living at 157 New Leicester Highway
The first major development approved in 2023 was a senior living project at 157 New Leicester Highway, where the project was unanimously approved during the Feb. 14 City Council meeting. The project will bring 141 units targeted for residents who are 55 and older.
The project also came with another major boost: a $1.6 million Land Use Incentive grant from the city that will allow the developer to avoid paying $105,519 annually after 16 years worth of taxes.
Of those units, 29 will be deeded as affordable at 80% AMI for a minimum of 30 years, according to city planning documents.
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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: A 20-story hotel, apartments and more: Asheville's 2023 developments
