Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
A new apartment building planned for Burton Street will bring 48 one- and two-bedroom units to the West Asheville neighborhood.
The building is planned for two vacant lots across the street from a storage facility, according to developer Hobie Orton of Madison Capital Group. The company recently held a community meeting to alert Burton Street neighbors to the plans.
The three-story building will have a mix of one- and two-bedroom units for rent, Orton said, and will likely rent for from $800 to $1,300 a month.
“The goal is to develop a project that allows for the most affordable rent possible,” Orton said. “The goal is not to have rents at the height of market rate.”
“The key to all that is to provide apartments that are in desirable, walkable and close to public transportation,” he added.
Other features on the Burton Street project include: a brick facade, an outdoor garden, an elevator and surface parking for tenants, according to Orton, so said he’s working with Rowhouse Architects and landscape architect Siteworks Studios on the project.
The project’s location will not be affected by the planned widening of Interstate 240/Interstate 26 through West Asheville, Orton said.
Madison Capital Group is also building a new apartment building on Broadway, and it has more projects for Asheville in the works, Orton said. Details on those should be announced in spring 2018.
Asheville has seen a wave of construction of new apartment buildings over the last few years. Most of the construction on the larger projects has been in south Asheville.
I’m sure it wasn’t their intention, but it’s rather telling that every person depicted in the rendering is white, whereas Burton Street is a black neighborhood.
That’s really gentrification there in one neat picture, isn’t it?