NCDOT's altered project plans help save German restaurant in Hendersonville
Thanks to the North Carolina Department of Transportation updating its original plans for a road straightening project, Haus Heidelberg, a German restaurant at 630 Greenville Highway, will get to remain right where it started when Helge Gresser took over the business 30 years ago.
The NCDOT originally had planned on having to acquire more of the property of the restaurant, which sits at the intersection of Greenville Highway and Joel Wright Drive. The project's original plans had a wider shoulder on Joel Wright Drive, which would've resulted in the restaurant having to relocate, according to the restaurant's owner, Helge Gresser.
NCDOT spokesperson David Uchiyama told the Times-News on Jan. 22 that design adjustments are part of a typical review of design plans when they reach 65% complete.
"This process is applied to all NCDOT construction projects during the right-of-way phase," he said. "For this project, NCDOT right-of-way agents and design engineers initiated acquisition negotiations that spurred minor adjustments of the plan in order move the project away from private property. The specific adjustment is reducing the width of a shoulder on Joel Wright Drive."
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Those changes ended up saving the restaurant, Uchiyama said.
"The result of exhaustive work by NCDOT right-of-way staff and the design team will allow the project to be built at less cost to state taxpayers and will allow the Haus Heidelberg property owner to remain in place. Additional adjustments will be examined until final plans are due in July 2025," he said.
Uchiyama said after final plans are complete, the contract for the approximately $46 million project will go out for bidding by October 2026.
Gresser told the Times-News on Jan. 19 many of his customers sent letters of support to his lawyer, hoping to help save his restaurant.
"We had an outpouring of support from the community in support of Haus Heidelberg, and according to my lawyer, there were literally hundreds of concerned supporters that called and wrote in to save my property," he said. "I feel so honored to have done something in my life that so many people appreciate. I could not be more humbled and touched."
Gresser is a native of Aachen, Germany, and finished his apprenticeship as a German and French chef there.
When he moved to America and settled in Hendersonville, he purchased Haus Heidelberg, which had been in operation from 1984-1993.
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"I came over and after doing some renovations, I reopened Haus Heidelberg on Feb. 8, 1994," he said. "Moving here was an opportunity that opened out of the blue, something I had never considered before, but changed my life. I've been a resident of Hendersonville for 30 years now, and I love my new home, and I've enjoyed watching it grow."
Now that the restaurant isn't having to move, Gresser said that will make the 30th anniversary celebration from Feb. 8-11 even more special.
"We're having a Throwback to the 90s event to celebrate our anniversary. We will go back to the original menu from 1994, as well as the prices from the 90s. It usually generates a ton of attention. We don't plan on doing anything different in the future — just trying to serve authentic German food," he said.
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: NCDOT's change in plans helps save German restaurant in Hendersonville
