An Asheville-based conservation group has purchased a broad swath of forested land next to Richmond Hill Park — halting the proposed “Bluffs at River Bend” apartment development.
The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy on Wednesday said it purchased the 83 wooded acres of land atop bluffs overlooking the French Broad River on Tuesday. For more than four years, the property was the subject of heated battles between developers, neighbors, environmental groups and the town of Woodfin, including a lawsuit last year over the zoning approval process for the site.
“This is a great outcome for this prominent forested bluff above a big bend in the French Broad River, especially in light of the shared desire among locals to support the river’s recovery from Hurricane Helene,” SAHC executive director Carl Silverstein said in a statement. “The scale of the proposed development in this sensitive location sparked acute opposition. We’re proud that SAHC could provide a solution supporting the community, while meeting the developer’s financial need.”
The group said it plans to eventually add the property to Richmond Hill Park, increasing the size of Asheville’s largest city-owned forested park from 180 to 263 acres. The purchase will also help protect the local environment and wildlife, including several rare native species, including the mole salamander, nodding trillium and the Eastern Fairy Shrimp.
Josh Kelly, resilient forests director with the environmental nonprofit MountainTrue, said the purchase “will provide habitat for birds and countless other species, while protecting water quality in the French Broad River.”
“Large, forested areas are especially important for combating the urban heat-island effect and, in this case, for providing wildlife habitat and clean water,” Kelly, who is also a member of SAHC’s land protection committee, said in a statement. “Looking to the future, there is a unique opportunity to restore the forest on the tract and create an urban ecological preserve."
Over the years, plans for The Bluffs at River Bend changed from a $500 million, 1,545-unit mixed-use development to 672-unit apartment complex amid sustained pushback from residents who voiced concerns about the construction of a sprawling “mega-development” along a dead-end road in the quiet hilltop community.
SAHC said that its purchase of the property was made possible by the support of “neighbors and other private donors.” The organization purchased the property from Verso Sub IV, LLC, for $12,416,000, according to Angela Shepherd, SAHC’s communications director.
“SAHC sought to buy the property several times since 2013, but the owner always held out for a higher price from developers,” the organization said Wednesday. “In 2020, developers contracted to buy the property and filed an ambitious plan that provoked intense opposition and litigation by multiple parties. In 2022, the property was transferred to another development group, which scaled down the proposed development. … Community members along with Town of Woodfin officials continued opposing the permit. Eventually the developer became willing to end the conflict by selling the property to SAHC for conservation.”
