More than 2 years after leaders approve park plan, still no park inside ‘pit of despair’

By Kimberly King

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    ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — City leaders paid a design company $292,000 to create a park plan for the empty lot that sits across from the Harrah’s Cherokee Center.

In October 2020, Asheville City Council unanimously approved the park plan for the site nicknamed the “pit of despair.” But the park plan with a price tag of $14 million got shelved as the pandemic began. As another spring season approaches, the question remains: Will the park and the major funding for it ever get underway?

“They need to do something with it,” said Janet Hamrick, who has managed the Vanderbilt apartment building for seniors across the street.

“Nothing has gotten accomplished,” said Patti Hawxhurst, who has worked for years at Paula Dawkins Jewelry Designs, also across from the lot. “It is a valuable property.”

City staff tell News 13 the plan to make the lot a park is still viable and on the table.

“This plan was completed in the first few months of the pandemic at a time of uncertainty that required the city to significantly shift priorities,” wrote Stephanie Dahl, city of Asheville Urban Design and Place Strategies manager. “As our community continues to recover, staff will work with the city council to determine an appropriate time to seek implementation.”

As the city council focuses on societal agenda topics, such as affordable housing, longtime Asheville commercial real estate developer Rusty Pulliam said he thinks the council should scrap the park idea, especially with so many millions going to other anticipated projects like McCormick Field upgrades and Reparations.

“To put $14 million in a small lot like that is just wasted taxpayer money,” said Pulliam, who said he feels the city council would be wise to re-examine selling the lot to a hotel developer. “The city could probably sell it in the $4-5 million range. They could then use that money and put it into affordable housing downtown, which is so needed.”

Back in 2015, then Vice Mayor Marc Hunt lost his re-election bid supporting the idea of selling the lot to McKibbon, a well-known hotel developer in Asheville. Voters who showed up to the polls made it clear they didn’t want a hotel on the site. But Pulliam said city leaders’ moratorium on hotels downtown has only turned into a bigger problem for congestion with more cars.

Pulliam said developers then started building hotels in Buncombe County outside the city, which he said means more tourists driving into downtown.

“If you go to any city, hotels have parking decks underneath and hotels downtown,” said Pulliam.

However, the idea of a hotel on the lot still gets mixed reviews.

“I don’t think we need any more hotels,” said Patti Hawxhurst, who feels the space must get a purpose.

But Janet Hamrick said she’s intrigued by the idea of using the sale of the lot for a hotel towards affordable housing.

“That would be a good idea,” said Hamrick.

Pulliam said a hotel at the site would be the best use of the small lot.

“Asheville is a tourist town,” said Pulliam. “Having a hotel across from the civic center makes all the sense in the world.”

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