Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
The River Arts District has been Asheville’s sleeping economic giant for decades. In recent years, RiverLink’s efforts to create parks and greenways along the river, and some notable early trailblazers, mostly in the form of artists and their studios, have added life there. Throw in a brewery and a barbecue joint, and things are looking good.
But now there may be a critical mass building to propel the area beyond its current success.
First up, the Glen Rock Depot. It’s a couple of miles east of the Wedge building, but the Glen Rock Depot is going to be a hot new locus of activity. It’s a mixed-use development project on Depot Street that includes the renovation of the old Glen Rock Hotel to create office space and new retail and commercial space. For example, loyal reader Chall plans to open a new performance space there called The Magnetic Field.
Right next to the hotel, a new 90,000-square-foot LEED certified mixed-used building that will include commercial and retail space and affordable apartments is going up as we speak. If you haven’t been down there to look, you need to get down there. The construction activity is moving quickly. (You can get an update on the Glen Rock Depot tonight, Tuesday, from 6-8 p.m. at Mountain BizWorks. Click here for details.)
Next, if you head back west and get back on Riverside Drive, turn into a little complex of buildings right before the intersection with Craven Street and you’ll find Roots Cafe and Catering. The business is little more than two months old, but it’s already serving up super-delicious food in a funky little atmosphere. These guys serve up organic food that can’t be beat, and you may already be familiar with their signature hummus, which can be found around town.
Literally right next door to Roots Cafe, construction crews are busy turning an old building into a new music venue. I don’t have the details yet, but I’m tracking them down. Suffice to say that work is well underway to create a great new space.
There’s one more tidbit I picked up. If you turn right out of Roots Cafe onto Riverside Drive and go up to the intersection with West Haywood Street on your right and the Craven Street Bridge on your left, turn right and go over the railroad tracks and you’ll see an orange-ish building with the word “Hatchery” painted on it.
There are plans to turn that old Hatchery building into some sort of music venue, as well. I think they should just call it “The Hatchery,” don’t you? How cool is that?
So to sum up — there’s a whole new buzz of economic activity going on in the River Arts District. If you can provide more details, or if you know what else is going on down there, please let me know. It promises a whole new wave of life down by the old French Broad, and I can’t wait to see what develops.
Hi Ashevegas, thanks for including the Glen Rock Depot in your update on the River District. Thanks to Dawn also for correcting the location, yes we are only a short distance from the Wedge building.
We are very excited about the Glen Rock Depot as we are the first development in the River District to start construction on a mixed use complex. The inclusion of commercial, retail, office and residential will provide 24 hour activity which is crucial for success.
We think we are also the first LEED certified commercial/retail location in the City.
So if you are a green oriented business, we want to be your landlord! You can contact our office at 254-4030 and we will put you in touch with our leasing team. You could also email me for this information at [email protected].
We have been in the district for over 3 years now and our Phase I was the renovation of the historic building on the corner of Bartlett and Depot, at the northern end of the Glen Rock Depot site. The Fine Arts League of the Carolinas (FALC) is our anchor tenant there and conducts lots of classes at night. We have not had any safety or security problems.
Thanks again for including us!
Cindy Visnich Weeks
Community Development Manager
Mountain Housing Opportunities, Inc.
The only thing that needs to happen to make things truly blossom is more security in the area, and some major cleanup work that has yet to be done. It’s still a haven for vagrants and drug/crime… I know because I used to work in the area, right next to the Phil Mechanic Studios building. You do not want to be down there after dusk… Not a safe place. My suggestion is that the dilapidated mass of graffiti-laden buildings next to the river be torn down and hauled away for good… that will solve a big part of that problem. The area may be growing, but still needs to clean up a bit before people feel safe going there.
Note: Glen Rock Hotel is LESS THAN half a mile from the Wedge. NOT a couple of miles…an easy walk…with sidewalks!
I had lunch at the Roots Cafe a few weeks ago. There were no tables yet so I sat at the staff picnic table and got some of the scoop on the music venue. Apparently, its being opened by the owner of Roots. I was told he is planning to have shows geared towards an older, working crowd as the shows will be earlier in the evening.
And…the food was excellent, be sure to try the Quinoa hushpuppies. Ed Kizer
Exicting to see the continued growth in the River District.
New music venues in the Asheville area continue to spring up at a rapid pace. I hope they all do well and prosper. However, I’m wondering at what point do the supply and demand factors begin to negatively impact existing music venues in Asheville.
How many clubs can a town this size support? Especially during a tight economy.
There is a relatively fixed number of regional music lovers who have sufficient cash on hand to pay for live music. As each new music club opens, the attendance at existing clubs is diluted. I’ve heard tons of great music from well-known touring bands and clubs like Grey Eagle, Rocket Club, White Horse Blk Mtn with only a handful of folks in attendance.
Of course, one answer is to encourage more and more folks to go out and support live music in Asheville and help these small businesses stay afloat.
The Hatchery! For sure, keep that name.