Asheville Holds Feb. 28 Design Workshop for Helene-Damaged River Parks

Design concepts for rebuilding more than 200 acres of French Broad riverfront parks submerged by Tropical Storm Helene were put on public display Saturday at A-B Tech’s Ivy Building, 9 Genevieve Circle, during a City of Asheville drop-in design workshop that ran 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The workshop featured formal presentations for the French Broad Riverfront Parks Project at the top of each hour and Azalea Parks and Infrastructure Project presentations at the half hour, plus interactive stations with visualizations and infrastructure repair options.

D. Tyrell McGirt, Asheville Parks & Recreation Director and staff liaison to the Helene Infrastructure Recovery Board, framed the event as a translation of prior feedback into design work: “We heard you, and now we want to show you how the community’s feedback is taking shape.” The city says the concepts on view were shaped by first-wave engagement in late 2025 that drew “thousands of responses,” and that the goal is to select elements from multiple concepts to form a single unified design to share in late spring.

The two project tracks on display included the French Broad Riverfront Parks Project, which explicitly includes Carrier Park and is being led by Boston-based Sasaki, and the Azalea Parks and Infrastructure Project, which covers Azalea Road properties and damage along the Swannanoa River and names Philadelphia-based OLIN as a lead design firm. City materials and presentation boards showed options to expand park space along the riverfront, restore greenways in the River Arts District, repair Recreation Park and pool facilities, and rebuild a soccer complex, Amboy Riverfront Park, and other recreation amenities.

The workshop reiterated the scale of the damage the city is recovering from: the storm “completely submerged over 200 acres of parks, recreation amenities, public facilities and greenways along the French Broad River” and caused at least $25 million in destruction to that riverfront corridor. Attendees voiced practical concerns about cleanup and specific amenities; Carrier Park visitor Brendan Green told WLOS, "I'd like to see a lot of things done. Especially like the ballfields, bike track, in general, how are they going to clean up?"

Logistics at the Ivy Building session included free parking, access via the S4 ART bus route, live in-person Spanish language interpretation, children's activities, and light refreshments. The city provided complimentary ART transit vouchers on request; residents may request vouchers by contacting neighborhoods@ashevillenc.gov. Digital presentations and an online feedback survey went live with the workshop and will remain available through March 16 on the City of Asheville project pages, and project staff will continue outreach with pop-up events and focused group discussions in early March, including a referenced focused meeting on March 2.

City materials state the recovery has entered a design phase anticipated to run through 2027 and that the aim is to fold community priorities such as rebuilt walking paths, restored bike facilities, accessible amenities, and environmental restoration into final plans. With presentations completed and online commenting open through March 16, the city expects to synthesize community input and share a unified riverfront design in late spring as part of a multi-year rebuilding effort.