Asheville’s ‘fancy McDonald’s’ submits plans to rebuild after being destroyed by Helene

ASHEVILLE – Among the many businesses in Biltmore Village destroyed by Tropical Storm Helene was one non-local, but prominent fast-food chain recognizable not only for its placement in the historic district, but also for its wide windows, piano and unique architectural design by Asheville-based architect Robert Griffin.

The McDonald’s at 35 Hendersonville Road opened in 1971 and is prominently placed near the entrance to the Biltmore Estate. The current structure, built in 2000, had previously weathered the floods from Tropical Storms Ivan and Frances in 2004, before suffering catastrophic damage from Helene in September that closed the business indefinitely.

But the golden arches along Hendersonville Road may not be gone for long.

McDonald’s has filed permits with the city of Asheville to destroy and rebuild the restaurant. It’s the first “major redevelopment” plan in Biltmore Village since the storm, Historic Resources Commission staff liaison Alex Cole said during a Jan. 8 meeting on the plans. Formed in 1979, the commission reviews development projects and proposed subdivisions within local subdivisions and landmarks.

The English and Scottish cottage-like designs of the Biltmore Village Historic District was the result of the 1992 Biltmore Village Development Plan, which aimed to guide development in the district to aesthetically fall in line with the architecture and style of the Biltmore Estate while also providing recommendations in the hope of improving bottlenecks to the estate amid a “chaotic, unmanageable” street environment in the early 90s.

“The development plan basically indicates that the site should be built out in more of an urban space,” Cole said of the historic district plan.

More: Helene floodwaters in Asheville gut unique McDonald’s known for its grand piano

Fast-food? In a historic district?

The McDonald’s presence in Biltmore Village goes back over 50 years and is highly connected to the district’s relationship with tourism and the Biltmore Estate.

City staff addressed the rise of fast-food locations in the historic district in the 1992 Biltmore Village development plan, where the McDonald’s presence in the flood prone area is largely attributed to the “confluence of major roads and the 700,000 guests visiting the Biltmore Estate each year.” (Since the 90s, the number of visitors has nearly doubled, with the Biltmore Estate recording over 1.3 million visitors a year in recent years.)

At the time, the McDonald’s was noted for it’s “non-contributory design” to the district and that it’s prominent sign along the road was “out of scale and out of compliance with the City of Asheville’s sign ordinance.” After the redevelopment plan was adopted, the building was eventually leveled, redesigned and rebuilt in 2000, according to city permits.

When it re-opened with the new architectural design from Griffin — who served as a member of the historic district’s steering committee in the 90s — the new, “fancy” McDonald’s was a pretty big deal, Cole said.

“There was a grand opening with the Chamber of Commerce. The Biltmore Estate provided wine. There were carriage tours,” Cole said.

As for the building’s design and architectural continuity in Biltmore Village, the building likely benefitted from being designed by one of the “experts in the architectural character” of the historic district, Cole said.

New McDonald’s approval pushed off after comments

Currently, preliminary building designs for the new McDonald’s reflect a more “modern building” rather than the cottage-like design Griffin brought in the early 2000s, HRC Chair Sioux Oliva noted during the meeting. It caused some members of the HRC to criticize the new plan as being too far from the intentional designs of Biltmore Village.

“The whole idea of Biltmore Village is that it looks like a European village,” Oliva said.

Other comments regarding the building include reintegrating the airy, wide windows that spanned most of the street-facing facade along Lodge Street. Cole told the McDonald’s design team that while it “doesn’t necessarily have to go back the way it was,” it is “hard to unsee what was there.”

After comments from city staff and the commission, approval of the McDonald’s redesign was pushed forward to a future meeting date.

As for the building’s well-known piano — an oddity given the restaurant’s chain status — there are plans for it to return as well, a McDonald’s representative said.

“I know you mentioned the piano,” said McDonald’s Franchise Business Partner Mildred Stutts. “We’ve already got one on order, I think.”

Variance process still a work in progress

Eligible historic properties destroyed by flooding in the district can seek a variance through the city Board of Adjustment to rebuild or renovate to previous standards under current federal and local ordinances, allowing property owners to receive insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program. The McDonald’s was not seeking a variance.

While the city has a process for Biltmore Village, it has no processes to review historic buildings in non-historic district areas, most prominently the River Arts District, Cole said.

After a meeting with the State Historic Preservation Offices and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cole said they told staff it would be up to the city on how the Historic Resources Commission approves and manages the redevelopment of historic buildings that are outside of historic districts. Some variances for historic buildings, many of which may come before the boards, Cole noted, could require joint meetings before the commission and the Board of Adjustment.

“We’re trying to iron that out,” Cole said.

What kind of structures can apply for historic variances?

Under FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program, historic structures can apply to be exempt from new requirements stemming from substantial damages if it meets the following criteria:

1. Listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places or preliminarily determined as meeting the requirements for individual listing on the National Register

2. Certified or preliminarily determined as contributing to the historical significance of a registered historic district

3. Individually listed on a state inventory of historic places

4. Individually listed on a local inventory of historic places.

More: WNC Nature Center celebrates 100 years; After Helene, when will it reopen?

More: As 12,000 remain displaced from Helene, campers become homes. The problem is keeping them warm

Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at [email protected]. Consider supporting this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville’s ‘fancy McDonald’s’ to return after being destroyed by Helene