Proposed Dry Ridge Fairgrounds and Arcade Could Bring Arts Hub to Weaverville

Town leaders and the property owner are weighing a plan to convert the former Balcrank Facility at 115 Reems Creek Road into an arts-based hub tentatively called The Dry Ridge Fairgrounds and Arcade; "This project is under serious consideration." Owner Keith Davis said the new facility "would be an arts-based hub."

The building sits less than a mile from Weaverville Main Street and measures about 132,000 square feet, described in assessments as a "promising 132,000-square-foot former industrial building." Interior notes from the site show the front of the structure laid out for studios and gallery/display areas while the back contains a cafeteria and "industrial floorspace yawn." Plans under discussion identify "space for 20 windowed and 10 windowless studios that will take the place of former offices" and a "large common area where gallery displays or more studio cubicles could be erected."

Concepts being floated for the reuse include artist studios and gallery space alongside food and beverage components such as breweries and restaurants, and recreation and entertainment uses including a multi-screen arthouse cinema and a pickleball facility. The cafeteria already on site figures into those plans as does remaining industrial floorspace that could be adapted for workshop use or mixed creative production.

Local economic development officials are actively assessing the property through the Weaverville Economic Development Advisory Committee. WEDAC invited artists to tour the site on Thursday, Dec. 5, and chair Phil Barnett estimated that "over 150 people arrived for the open house." Committee members photographed at the space include Al Schlimm and Reggie Tidwell as WEDAC gauges interest from displaced artists and potential tenants.

The proposal is being pitched in part as a regional recovery measure after Hurricane Helene. Storm damage "displaced dozens of artists from their studios and workspaces across Western North Carolina, especially in the River Arts District of Asheville, which was devastated by flooding from the French Broad River," a context driving interest in new workspace options in Weaverville.

Financing and approvals remain unresolved. "While the WEDAC team didn’t have an exact estimate of what the cost would be to bring the project to fruition, they have already begun conversations with possible financiers." No municipal approvals, firm cost projections, construction timelines, or permit filings have been announced, and the project name is explicitly described by town leaders and the owner as tentative. Town leaders and the property owner provided the tentative project name and are continuing assessments as WEDAC pursues feasibility and financing conversations.