Orange Peel’s proposed riverside venue receives design committee OK

ASHEVILLE – The Orange Peel’s new music venue proposal has been approved by the city of Asheville Design Review Committee, putting it one step closer to becoming a reality.

Announced in October, downtown music venue The Orange Peel has been making steady progress toward obtaining approvals to establish a new music venue along Thompson Street near Biltmore Village. The venue is set to be developed at the former location of the Cursus Kĕmē brewery and the development team has proposed the partial closure of Mulvaney Street. The location at 155 Thompson St. sits along the Swannanoa River and was significantly flooded by Tropical Storm Helene, destroying Cursus Kĕmē. The week of Nov. 17 it was reviewed by both the city of Asheville’s Technical Review and Design Review committees.

Renderings show the wide, open-spaced design of the new venue, which will rely heavily on reused storage containers, according to a presentation at the city design committee Nov. 20. Storage containers at the 6,000-person venue will be “modular and movable elements,” where in case of a major flood they will be moved out of the floodplain, according to a narrative submitted to the board. The design will be “primarily industrial to complement the surrounding river corridor’s working character.”

“This project contributes to the area’s recovery by re-activating an otherwise vacant flood-damaged property. The project being adjacent to the future greenway, the use of rideshare, shuttle service, and traffic coordination with law enforcement are intended to support the City’s multimodal transportation goals,” the narrative reads.

Since Helene, businesses have sought to return to Asheville’s river districts, with some focusing on redeveloping properties damaged by the storm to meet new flood standards while others have sought to repair them to move back in while meeting prior standards. On Nov. 25, another music venue, Salvage Station, announced it would pursue the redevelopment of 13.5 acres in the River Arts District to build a new indoor music venue, a return for the outdoor venue destroyed by Helene.

During the design review meeting, committee member Michael McDonough felt there were still ways he Orange Peel development team could make the proposal “more comfortable for people” as they arrive to Thompson Street, describing the current layout of the venue as having elements of a “cattle yard.” The containers are a positive addition to a flood-prone area, he said.

“The fact that they are movable is awesome,” McDonough said, but noted he would like to see the evacuation plan for the property. The plan for the Level I permit review and temporary use of the property was approved unanimously by the design committee. The low-level permit review requires city staff to check for compliance with code and regulations, but it will not have to be approved by City Council.

The proposal to close 27, 52 and 99999 Mulvaney Sts., approximately 400 feet of the road adjacent to the venue, was approved with administrative revisions required by the Technical Review Committee on Nov. 17. It must be heard by the Multimodal-Transportation Commission at a yet-to-be-determined date before going before City Council for approval, according to a Technical Review Committee report.