Broadway Street apartment complex plan in Asheville draws parking concerns

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A proposal to build a three-story, 46-unit apartment complex along Broadway Street north of downtown Asheville drew concerns about parking from attendees of a neighborhood meeting Thursday night.

Hobie Orton, a developer with Charleston-based White Point Partners,  unveiled the plans before a room full of residents gathered at Habitat Tavern & Commons. He presented the details:

-three stories of new construction as seen from Broadway, as well as one level below on the .83-acre site

-46 to 48 apartments (a mix of one- and two-bedroom units), with six or seven set aside as “affordable” under city rules and the rest priced in the “mid-market” range

-4,000 square feet of office space, likely divided into four bays

-50-some-odd parking spaces

-a corner courtyard facing the 5 Points intersection

-connection to the Reed Creek Greenway planned along the rear of the development

-RowHouse Architects and Sitework Studios are partners on the project

-construction would begin in February, with a spring 2019 planned opening

It was the parking issue that most concerned attendees. The Montford neighborhood rises behind the apartment complex, and the 5 Point neighborhood sits across Broadway from it. With just one parking space per apartment, and only a couple more for the office units, residents worried that people would be parking on neighborhood streets.

Access to the development would come via Elizabeth Street off of Broadway, a street that’s already starting to get clogged, residents said. Any future development would just make matters worse, they added.

Orton listened to commenters, who also asked about a variety of other issues, from green-building elements to stormwater runoff, and said he would take the concerns into account has plans are finalized.

Before the Q&A with neighbors, Orton said the site was desirable because of its walkable proximity to downtown and the nearness of other amenities. “Without being in heart of the central business district, this is as good as it gets,” he said.

Orton also confirmed that White Point Partners is working on a mixed-use development plan for the old Kent Building on Roberts Street in the River Arts District, adding that it’s one of a number of developments White Point is working on for Asheville. He declined to comment on whether those plans included a boutique hotel, which would be a first for the RAD.

1 Comment

orulz August 11, 2017 - 9:44 am

How about adding some parallel parking. Is that part of broadway ever busy enough to really need four lanes?

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