Asheville City Council approved a conditional zoning amendment at its Tuesday, Sept. 10 meeting. The 4-2 vote will allow a seven-story, 240-unit apartment complex to be built at 144 and 179 Riverside Drive.
The development’s plans include:
- 12 units designated affordable for a period of 20 years
- 243 parking spaces, divided between a parking garage, grass pavers, and a grass lot adjacent to the Wilma Dykeman Greenway
- Food truck spaces, kayak racks, and a solar-ready roof
At the Tuesday, Aug. 27 meeting, several members of City Council questioned the number of affordable units. The vote was postponed to this week, but passed without the number increasing.
The site once housed the Asheville Cotton Mill, and the remaining smokestack is incorporated into the design. The complex’s original proposal was approved in 2021, which would have adaptively reused the Cotton Mill building — but it was recently demolished, warranting the new plan.
