ASHEVILLE – Long abandoned and derelict, the house at 158 South French Broad Ave., just across from Aston Park Tower, has been referred to by some neighbors as a “haunted house.” After nearly three years of trying, the city may soon demolish the house. It will come after one final scare to neighbors.
More than a year-and-a-half since City Council voted to demolish the structure, a blaze consumed the front rooms of the Southside house on Dec. 28.
The house has been in the process of being demolished by the city of Asheville since March of 2023. The effort came just after long-time neighbor Robert Jackson Jr. was beaten by a man who was “hanging out on the abandoned property,” according to a 2023 GoFundMe for Jackson’s medical bills arranged by neighbor Linda Tsan. An April 2024 city report on the property indicated it had been the “subject of criminal activities, including an assault.”…