Over the past several months, a development on the corner of Asheland and Hilliard Avenues has quickly come up, developing another part of downtown’s South Slope near an empty Hot Spot gas station. Here’s what we know:
‘The Duke’ on South Slope
In February 2023, the first set of development plans for 218 Hilliard were submitted. With a site having a history of being owned by Duke Energy before being bought by a developer, the newly proposed four-story apartment complex came with the name “The Duke.”
Subsequent development submissions indicate 86 new apartment units would be set up on the site on the western edge of South Slope. The development will also come with a new Asheville Rapid Transit bus stop and include the adaptive reuse of the surrounding property at 226 Hilliard Ave., which will be turned into 15 apartments.
Developer has worked on multiple proposals
The project is being constructed by 226 Hilliard AVL LLC, a Summerfield-based development organization led by Brian Wise, who is also working on projects in South Asheville and in Buncombe County. Another project Wise proposed along Sweeten Creek Road was approved by Asheville City Council on Feb. 25.
Construction has required some plastic barriers to be placed along Asheland Avenue and Hilliard Avenue. Wise told the Citizen Times that construction on the adaptive reuse building is expected to be finished by the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, while the apartment building would be completed in the first quarter of 2026. There will be a courtyard between the buildings, Wise said…