ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Nearly two years after Tropical Storm Helene damaged much of Biltmore Village, a 210-room hotel is being proposed for a prominent property at the entrance to the historic shopping district.
Drury Hotels is seeking approval to build an eight-story hotel at 2 Hendersonville Road, redeveloping the Helene-damaged Biltmore Station property.
The proposal includes a restaurant, pool and other hotel amenities, as well as a separate commercial building planned behind the hotel. The project has an estimated construction value of $40 million.
The proposal is now moving through Asheville’s conditional zoning process, with the city’s Technical Review Committee scheduled to review the project Sept. 21.
The 3.78-acre property sits at the southeast corner of Hendersonville Road and Thompson Street, an area that has seen significant changes since Helene.
The project application identifies the current zoning as River and requests conditional zoning for Lodging Expansion. City records list the application as No. 26-06324PZ.
A site rebuilt after Helene
The proposed hotel would occupy the two westernmost buildings at Biltmore Station, which previously housed commercial businesses before Helene damaged the property in September 2024.
The project would replace damaged commercial space with a large hotel while also leaving room for another commercial use on the site.
The neighborhood meeting materials identify that second area for future restaurant or retail use, although no tenant has been identified.
The project is part of a broader reshaping of Biltmore Village as businesses return, properties are repaired or reconsidered and new investment moves into the area following Helene.
Designed with flooding in mind
Because the property was heavily affected by Helene, flood resilience is a significant part of the proposal.
The project team told neighbors during an Aug. 10 meeting that the hotel is planned to sit 3 feet above the base flood elevation. The discussion noted that the applicable requirement is 2 feet plus an additional foot. Retaining walls would be used as needed to achieve the elevation.
The site plans also call for on-site stormwater infrastructure, including boxes, pipes and outlets, to manage runoff.
The project’s survey shows the property is in a FEMA Zone AE special flood hazard area, which represents a 1 percent annual chance floodplain under the referenced FEMA map.
The neighborhood meeting materials say the project is expected to reduce impervious surface compared with existing conditions.
Traffic study finds limited impact
The proposal is also the subject of a traffic impact study.
A draft study prepared by Asheville-based Mattern & Craig found the hotel would generate an estimated 163 additional trips during the morning peak hour, 157 during the afternoon peak hour and about 1,882 trips per day.
The study looked at traffic conditions at several intersections around the site, including Hendersonville Road at Thompson Street and Lodge Street, Hendersonville Road/Biltmore Avenue at Swannanoa River Road, Biltmore Avenue at Meadow Road/Bryson Street and the intersection near the Biltmore Estate entrance.
The study concludes that the development would have minimal effects on the existing road network, with no notable degradation in level of service at the study intersections except for the proposed main driveway’s outbound left turn.
That movement is projected to operate at a Level of Service F during the 2029 morning and afternoon peak periods.
The traffic study recommends restricting the main Hendersonville Road driveway so vehicles cannot make an outbound left turn. Traffic would instead be routed through the secondary Thompson Street access, where the existing left-turn restriction would need to be removed.
The study says that arrangement would result in a less severe traffic impact and move the left-turn movement farther from the nearby railroad crossing.
The study also notes that the property previously generated traffic from several businesses, and that those businesses — along with a permanently closed restaurant across the street — were collectively larger traffic generators than the proposed hotel. As a result, the study projects roadway performance after the hotel is built could be better than under the site’s previous use.
More pedestrian connections
The proposal also includes pedestrian routes around the hotel and toward Hendersonville Road and Thompson Street.
During the neighborhood meeting, Oakley Neighborhood Association President Julie O’Dwyer raised concerns about traffic on Thompson Street and asked about improvements such as sidewalks, lighting and bicycle facilities.
She also raised the issue of safer pedestrian connections between the project, Biltmore Village, Dorr Avenue and the railroad area. The project team said it was willing to coordinate with the city, railroad and neighboring property owners on broader pedestrian connections where feasible.
The city requires sidewalks along the project’s frontages on Hendersonville Road and Thompson Street.
The project’s two vehicle entrances would use Hendersonville Road and Thompson Street, according to the traffic study.
Drury’s expansion into Asheville
For Drury Hotels, the proposal would add another location to a growing national hotel operation.
The family-owned company was founded in 1973 in Sikeston, Missouri, and now operates more than 150 hotels across 30 states, according to the project materials.
The company received its 20th J.D. Power award for guest satisfaction in 2026, according to information presented during the neighborhood meeting.
The project comes as Biltmore Village continues to recover and redevelop following Helene.
The Drury proposal is still in the early stages of Asheville’s review process. The city’s review sequence includes the Technical Review Committee, Design Review Committee, Planning & Zoning Board and ultimately Asheville City Council.
If the project receives the necessary approvals, additional engineering, stormwater, grading, utility, NCDOT and building reviews would follow.
For now, the proposed hotel is another significant redevelopment project being considered for Biltmore Village following Helene.
The additional commercial building also leaves a piece of the project still to be determined: what will eventually go there. No tenant has been identified.