Buncombe County seeks foreclosure on Mountaineer Inn over unpaid taxes

Buncombe County has asked Superior Court to put the Mountaineer Inn on Tunnel Road into foreclosure over more than $29,500 in unpaid property taxes, a step that could end with a court-ordered sale of the long-troubled motel.

The county filed its complaint on April 8, beginning a process that under North Carolina law can move much like a bank foreclosure. County spokesperson Kassi Day said the filing seeks a judgment for taxes, interest and costs, along with the appointment of a commissioner who could sell the property if the debt is not resolved.

The complaint names Radify Asheville LLC, which owns the motel, and also lists other lienholders, including the City of Asheville. City enforcement has already produced its own financial claim against the property: the initial cleanup cost was $3,400, and that amount was set as a lien after officials dealt with garbage and weeds at the site. A Buncombe County Superior Court judge ordered the owner in February to clean up the property, and Asheville code enforcement later planned an inspection after the site did not come into compliance.

County officials had already escalated the tax case earlier this year by hiring outside attorneys in February to pursue the delinquent bill. At that point, the unpaid taxes had been reported at $29,079; the later complaint pushed the total to more than $29,500 as interest and costs continued to accumulate. For Buncombe County, the case is as much about recovering public money as it is about one visibly deteriorating parcel on a major Asheville corridor.

The Mountaineer Inn has become a familiar example of how a once-promising redevelopment can stall. LOGE Camps bought the property for $6.1 million in May 2023, with plans to renovate and reopen the historic 1939 motel, but that work never materialized. The property, first built as The Mountaineer Court with 19 units, was expanded by 44 rooms in 1973 after Chris Moutos bought it in 1964, bringing it to 76 units.

That history helps explain why the site still draws attention. Its roadside presence and neon sign have been part of Asheville’s visual landscape for decades, while the present condition has generated repeated complaints about neglect, cleanliness and safety. The property was listed for sale in March, suggesting the owner may be looking for an exit even as the county foreclosure case and city enforcement continue to move forward.