ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) —
How tight is Asheville’s real estate market?
Even the city government had a hard time finding commercial warehouse space to store Asheville Fire Department equipment during upcoming renovations to the downtown Municipal Building, so they might lease warehouse and office space in Black Mountain instead.
“The search was originally limited to the Asheville city limits, but was expanded to surrounding areas due to low availability of commercial warehouse spaces that met the operational requirements,” a staff report states.
When the Asheville City Council meets at 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 25, at City Hall, the agenda includes a proposed lease agreement with Miami Made, LLC, for property at 104 Eastside Drive, #210, in Black Mountain.
City officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment and details on the equipment being moved.
According to the staff report, the fire department’s Logistics Department will need to relocate during the work, which includes demolition and reconstruction of the elevated slab in Fire Station 1. There was no “functionally feasible” space in the city’s current inventory, so a real estate company joined the search for commercial office and warehouse space.
The report describes the 17,000 square foot warehouse in Black Mountain as having enough area — and height — to accommodate the vehicles, aparatus and equipment, plus finished office space for Logistics Department staff.
The lease rate is $7.30 per square foot per year to start, with 3 percent increases annually over the initial five year term. Funding for the first two years is $251,923 and was previously budgeted, and the remaining $406,941 is to be paid out of the department’s operating budget starting in fiscal year 2027, the staff report states.