My Field Coordinator and I braved the freezing rain today
to slide our way on down to the River District. We have clients coming into town this weekend, investors who need research done. So, we stood in the rain and took a look around at potential investment property in a brownfield right across the street from the River that winds its way all along the communities here.
Maybe not all real estate professionals get goose bumps from their work, but we did today. No joke!
Photo taken of the mighty
French Broad River across from brownfield.
When you think about all the life that goes on and has gone on around this River, you realize its power. Having paid tribute to the River by photographing the "energy" here, we turned out attention to what could be a lucrative re-development project just across the street.
Here's a question. What do you tell an investor about the potential for
re-development in a brownfield?
Directly across the road is the property our clients want more information about. They say they understand the process of evaluation and the possibilities in brownfields. Here, to your left, is what we saw as the sky cleared and graced us with a few moments of Carolina Blue skies above the old Carolina Ice House that stands in the midst of a brownfield.
9 points:
1. I am told that Phase I and Phase II assessments of that ice facility and the former tannery site in the Asheville target area and a Phase II environmental assessment of the former wood treating site are being considered..
2.So the old ice house across the street from the River could become re-development project in the not too distant future.
3.Land is at a premium along the River.
4.In any case, it's going to take strong collaborative efforts to identify and prioritize assessment of the brownfields , but the level of investor interest we are seeing could signal a trend... From where we stand, it looks that way.
5.It was/is an interesting contrast in many ways..the River, and then the commerce, train tracks, obvious neglect.....For my part, I plan to sit down with a team of experts and my staff later this month to talk about Phase I and Phase II environmental assessments of properties in the French Broad Riverfront area right here in Asheville.
6.Investors are not the only interested parties.
7. As you may be able to tell from the next photo (just below) of the "Warehouse Studios" that we took, artists, brave souls that they are, have already moved into this area. In fact a good number of artists' studios may be found in the River District. 
8. There's a lot of talk around here about preparation and cleanup plans, and outreach to the community .. EPA is said to be working hand-in hand with the Land-of-Sky Regional Council for a Brownfields Assessment Pilot.The Land-of-Sky Regional Council reports that it "represents Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and Transylvania counties (population 344,472) in western North Carolina," and shares a bit of history. According to Land-of-Sky, throughout " the first half of the 1900s, road transportation began to eclipse the railroad and diverted traffic away from river basins, negatively impacting the timber, textile, tanning, and paper milling industries. Numerous factories and mills were forced to close due to poor economic conditions. Many of these old properties remain neglected or underused due to real or perceived contamination. However..."perceived" is the operative word here.
9. FYI Investors: Look at the Smart Growth Plan in the Greater Asheville Area for excellent development opportunities. Land targeted-of-Sky has already targeted three sites of potential interest to you. There is a 2.3-acre ice-distribution warehouse and a 1-acre former tannery, both in the French Broad Riverfront area of Asheville. Early in the 1890's industry took notice of the prime, flat real-estate to be found near the French Broadand the Asheville Tannery, built circa 1896 and the Carolina Coal & Ice Company set up shop there. The Carolina Coal and Ice Company was founded in 1890. It became Carolina Fuel Company and, after building an ice plant on Lyman Street, the company joined with another group on Riverside Drive. A vacant former wood treating facility in the Town of Fletcher is also under consideration, and Land-of-Sky also reports that "additional target properties may be assessed after a region-wide inventory of brownfields is completed...." So stay tuned!
Resources: You can visit the EPA Region 4 Brownfieldsweb site and/or for further information, including specific Pilot contacts, additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/brownfields EPA Home
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