Asheville council approves two-year land hold for proposed Parkside arts center after heated public comment

Asheville City Council voted March 24 to reserve the city-owned Parkside parcel for up to two years to explore a mixed-use development anchored by a 2,500-seat arts and entertainment facility.

Chris Corl, the city's Community and Regional Entertainment Facilities Director, told council staff has identified Parkside as a viable site, cited a memorandum of understanding with ATG Entertainment and said the hold would position the city to pursue an Economic Development Administration grant for pre-construction work. Corl said the process will use an RFQ to seek additional development partners and that community feedback will shape the project's "guardrails." (According to the transcript, Corl said the hold keeps final decisions reserved until council receives sufficient information and public comment.)

The motion adopted by council includes explicit language requiring staff to "create and utilize meaningful and robust partnerships" with nearby communities, including the Block and East End/Easton Valley Street neighborhoods, and to reserve any final decisions about the site until council has reviewed engagement results. Multiple council members described the change from "engagement" to "partnerships" as responsive to requests from neighborhood stakeholders.

Public commenters urged caution. Tiffany Devaul of GAP AVL and other speakers traced the site's history of displacement and urged that any process include community ownership or legally binding power-sharing, not only consultation. Rebecca Hat, a downtown property owner, questioned whether the site is the best location and asked about parking, use restrictions and long-term lease terms. Several longtime residents described the area's history and asked for reparations-based remedies and seats at decision-making tables.

Corl said alternatives had been considered and that anchor partners such as the Asheville Symphony and potential private operators are more concerned with what the facility offers than the exact parcel, though walkability and adjacent uses matter. Staff emphasized that the land-hold could be ended if community feedback or partner negotiations do not support the project.

Next steps: staff will proceed with the EDA grant application, refine the community engagement plan and prepare an RFQ for potential partners. The resolution establishes a two-year period for exploration and requires staff to return to council with community input before any final sale or lease.

Quotes in this story come from the meeting transcript and are attributed to speakers who identified themselves on the record.