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City and consultant present $60–63M French Broad riverfront recovery concept centered on resilience and access
Summary
Parks staff and Sasaki presented a unified design for five miles of French Broad riverfront parks that prioritizes resilient flood‑adapted edges, expanded connectivity, accessible paddler launches, and community programming; preliminary cost estimate is about $60–63 million and staff plans 30% design and a September community review.
D Tyrell Meger, parks and recreation director and staff liaison for the Infrastructure Recovery Board, and Chris Hardy of Sasaki Associates presented a conceptual framework on June 23 for repairing and restoring five miles of riverfront parks damaged by extreme flooding.
Hardy said the design process combined technical investigations, surveys and extensive community engagement. "We have all the programs we have all the pieces we have specific locations for them and we're confirming that through these meetings," he said, adding that the team will advance to 30% design and return for a community review in September.
Design principles and programs: the unified concept centers on five guiding principles — work with and respect the river, restore nature, expand connectivity and safe movement, balance diverse recreation with dedicated nature spaces, and infuse Asheville's culture and art into the parks. Programmatic elements highlighted included universally accessible paddler launches, restrooms at Jean Webb adjacent to boat launches, pollinator meadows that can host art, floodable terrace lawns that double as event space, an enhanced dog park, a community pavilion for markets and concerts, and a reimagined velodrome option that could accommodate cyclists and skaters while freeing space for additional programs.
Resilience and engineering: consultants described a typology‑based approach to bank restoration — using living edges where flood velocities allow and engineered armoring at high‑velocity reaches. Staff emphasized the design must "design for the next flood, not the last one," and noted site‑specific decisions will be guided by hydrologic and hydraulic modeling.
Costs and funding: Sasaki presented a preliminary capital estimate of about $63 million (staff said the concept is "trending towards 60 million" as value‑engineering continues). Staff discussed potential capital sources such as FEMA public assistance, hazard mitigation grants, and DR funds; the team said further work will produce tighter cost estimates during 30% design.
Community questions: councilors asked whether the plans include art funding, how federal funding restrictions (FEMA/DR) interact with local public‑art policy, whether private parcels adjacent to the parks might be negotiated for swaps or other arrangements, and whether updated flood maps will alter the design. Staff said they will follow up on art‑funding options and noted the reconstruction may require formal map revision processes (CLOMR/LOMR) because even small net changes can trigger regulatory reviews.
Next steps: staff will develop 30% technical documents, continue hydrologic modeling in coordination with state reviewers, and return to council and the community for further review in September.
