More than a year after they first revealed plans for a mixed-use development on Haywood Road in West Asheville, developers continue to reach out to the project’s neighbors.
The Village on Haywood, a multiresidential urban village fronted by a two-story building for restaurants and retail stores, is planned for the former site of the St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church. Last year, developer Kevin Crump won accolades from Asheville City Council for rounding up community input with a series of public charettes.
Since then, the plan has been scaled back slightly, but the project is still moving forward.
All in all, Crump said, the development is largely the same, with a mix of residential units fronted by a mixed-use building on Haywood Road. But that building, originally planned to be a block long, will now be broken into three parts, allowing for both more windows and for pedestrians to pass between the buildings. Overall residential space has been reduced throughout the development, allowing for more parking, and wider sidewalks have been included for outdoor seating.
The renovated project is expected to go before City Council for a rezoning soon, but given Council’s previous enthusiasm for the project, no problems are foreseen.
“Everybody is being really encouraging,” said realtor Rebecca Gray, who is handling the property.
Demolition of the brick buildings presently on the site will begin soon, Gray said. Asbestos removal in the parish was expected to take a few more days, then that building will come down. Complete build-out should be finished late next year, but reservations for residential units are already being snatched up, and several businesses—including an acupuncture clinic—have already signed on.
The recent changes, Crump told Xpress, came after financial estimates indicated the original plan would lose money.
