Mills River Conosur owners claim they're closing due to road widening; NCDOT disagrees
MILLS RIVER - The co-owners of Conosur Latin Fusion, a restaurant located at 4195 Haywood Road in Mills River serving Latin cuisine, said they are closing next month due to the N.C. 191 road widening project, but the North Carolina Department of Transportation said that isn't the case.
"We knew for a couple of years that they were going to widen the road. What we heard is that they were going to tear everything down around here and build a new road. Our lease ends in July, and we have to leave in September they told us," Conosur co-owner Patricio Vera told the Times-News on May 30. "We tried talking to people, but we never got a straight answer ... so it was just time to move on to the next thing."
NCDOT anticipates putting the contract for the $112.6 million project out for bidding in July 2024, according to David Uchiyama, the communications officer for the mountain region of the NCDOT. He also said the project doesn't require businesses located in the corner of N.C. 191 and N.C. 280 (Airport Road) to be relocated.
"The businesses at the intersection of NC 280 and NC 191 are not being relocated by the N.C. Department of Transportation or for any work associated with an upcoming project in the area," Uchiyama told the Times-News on May 30. "The right of way necessary for easements are minimal and do not impact the buildings or property necessary to operate a business.”
Vera, who is from Lima, Peru, said he worked at Grove Park Inn for 14 years before opening the restaurant in 2018 with Sergio Castro, who is from Quintero, Chile. The two met while Vera was at Grove Park.
More: Conosur fires up Peruvian chicken, authentic pan-Latin cuisine
The restaurant has been serving traditional Chilean and Peruvian food with a blend of American dishes for the past five years. Just three years after they opened Conosur, Vera said he and Castro began looking for other locations after learning about the road-widening project.
"We looked for two years for a different place around here and in West Asheville, but we couldn't find anything available. Anything that was available was big money," Vera said. "I never say never, but at the moment, we've both made other plans. I'm going back to Grove Park to work, and (Castro) is going to start a catering business in Asheville."
Vera has lived all over the world, including Peru, Puerto Rico, Italy and Canada and found his most recent home in Arden 23 years ago, he said. Vera said business at the restaurant remains steady, and that customers who have heard about the closing say they are sad to see it go.
More: Dining review: Cono Sur adds Peruvian food to Mills River
"The community has been nothing but great to us," he said. "We are very grateful for the community. Our customers have been fantastic. We have a very loyal community here. They are very sad. They don't want us to leave."
The restaurant is open 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and is closed on Sunday and Monday. For more information or to place an order online, go to https://www.conosur.net/.
Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Conosur owners blame road widening for closure; NCDOT says it's not true
