UNC Asheville Board of Trustees Selects South Campus Site for Pisgah
House;
Neighborhood Informational Session Set for August 29
The UNC Asheville Board of Trustees on Wednesday
(August 24) selected an approximately five-acre site on UNC Asheville’s
50-acre South Campus for Pisgah House, a new multi-purpose facility that
will provide residential space for the incoming and future chancellors
and public space for numerous University functions. The site is located
across W.T. Weaver Blvd. from the main campus and near the USDA Forest
Service Southern Research Station.
The UNC Asheville Board of Trustees has been
seriously exploring the options for a new facility for the past eight
years. Prompted by the strong local real estate market, this past July
the Board took the preliminary steps required to sell the current
residence at 62 Macon Avenue. A special provision providing state
legislative permission for sale proceeds to be applied to construction
of the new facility passed in August.
In their discussions, Board members noted that the
Macon Avenue residence, while well-suited for family living, is
inadequate for official University functions and lacks sufficient
parking. Pisgah House, as a multi-purpose facility, will better meet
campus needs, serving as a family residence as well as a location for
chancellor-hosted meetings, informal student gatherings, receptions,
programs, large dinners and accommodations for distinguished University
guests.
Preliminary planning for Pisgah House anticipates
an approximately 7,500-square-foot building, with 4,500 square feet of
public space and 3,000 square feet of residential space.
“During our planning, we consulted other campuses
in the University of North Carolina system that had recently built or
bought such facilities. In particular, we visited several times with
Appalachian State University and gained valuable insight from their
approach in balancing public and private space for Appalachian House,
which opened in 2002,” said Charles R. Tolley, UNC Asheville Board of
Trustees chair.
While classroom buildings are funded by state
allocations and bond referendums, it is the responsibility of campuses
in the University of North Carolina system to provide a residence for
their chancellors, said William P. Massey, UNC Asheville Vice Chancellor
for Alumni & Development. The UNC Asheville Foundation is raising $1.5
million in private support for the public portion of the building,
grounds and the building’s infrastructure. Some $400,000 in private
funds have already been pledged specifically for this project. Net
proceeds from sale of the Macon Avenue property are expected to pay for
a significant part of the residential portion of the new building,
Massey said.
Pisgah House is a project of the UNC Asheville
Foundation. When completed, the Foundation will donate Pisgah House to
the state for use by UNC Asheville. In its official action Wednesday,
the Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution to lease the
Pisgah House site to the
UNC Asheville Foundation during the period of construction.
The South Campus site has numerous benefits, Tolley
said. “Pisgah House will be located on the UNC Asheville campus but
away from the academic core, keeping open potential space for future
classroom buildings. It will be close enough to the heart of campus to
easily serve as a location for campus meetings, student gatherings, and
chancellor’s receptions before and after campus cultural and athletic
events.”
The location also has the advantage of nearby
parking, Tolley noted. “The Forest Service Southern Research Station has
generously offered UNC Asheville the opportunity to use its parking area
for special events held in the evening. We are also able to use campus
shuttles to transport people from campus to events at Pisgah House. As a
result, we are planning for only six to eight parking spaces at Pisgah
House itself.”
The South Campus location should not increase
traffic through the Montview-Hillside neighborhood, Tolley said. The
Pisgah House entrance will be about 200 yards up the Southern Research
Station’s entrance road. There will not be an entrance from the Montview-Hillside
neighborhood.
The UNC Asheville Board of Trustees will hold a
Pisgah House informational session for residents of the Montview-Hillside
neighborhood at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 29, at UNC Asheville’s Owen
Conference Center, located on the third floor of Owen Hall.
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