The City of Asheville has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ATG Entertainment (ATG) for predevelopment work to create a public-private Arts and Entertainment facility in the central business district.  

Happening Now

The City of Asheville has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ATG Entertainment (ATG) for predevelopment work to create a public-private Arts and Entertainment facility in the central business district.

Made possible through a public-private partnership, the MOU allows forward movement on a community benefit residents have supported for years. Commitment to intensive due diligence through this predevelopment phase creates an unprecedented opportunity for the City of Asheville, ATG, and our other partners, Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority (BCTDA), ArtsAVL, and the Asheville Symphony, to make this community vision a reality.

The MOU has been executed, and work has begun. It does not commit the City or Asheville or ATG to funding the construction of an arts and entertainment facility, but allows partners to work together to start negotiations for a long-term agreement to run the facility, if the project goes forward.

 

Next Milestone

The City and ATG expect to receive the initial draft of the economic and cultural impact study to inform business plans and potential upcoming grant application cycles in 2025.

 

Upcoming Engagement

Significant public engagement and stakeholder input have been collected over many years regarding the needs and desires of the community for the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium and a large arts and entertainment facility. This engagement will be updated as part of the predevelopment process. Opportunities for stakeholder and public engagement are forthcoming.  To sign up for future updates and opportunities for input, please join our email list (see tab above). 

 

Project Overview 

Phase 1 - Exploration & Predevelopment

Unlike past exploratory efforts, this step commits both partners, collaborating toward a definitive long-term agreement to create a transformational cultural and economic investment.

This MOU allows the City and ATG to collaborate on the planning and design of major capital projects. Initial work, managed in partnership by both ATG and the City, will include the creation of an Economic and Cultural Impact study, Business Plan modeling, potential venue configurations, and audience experience designs. All steps will factor in federal funding opportunities such as  Economic Development Association (EDA) grants under the disaster recovery program. A federal program offering grants to support the restoration of economic activity and long-term economic growth in disaster-impacted communities and regions. City staff are currently exploring these grant programs, with the intent to apply if the final project meets federal grant requirements.  This federal program offers grants to support the restoration of economic activity and long-term economic growth in disaster-impacted communities and regions.

Explore Asheville, ArtsAVL, and the Asheville Symphony will assist the City and ATG with data collection and stakeholder engagement to gather information relevant to any City grant applications.

Potential Phase 2 : Beyond Exploration

In addition to support provided in the predevelopment phase, ATG will work with the City of Asheville to create a long-term, financially sustainable model for the operation of the City-owned facility with a private management or lease agreement with the operator - ATG.  

 

Funding

The exploratory partnership of the predevelopment phase is being funded by both ATG and the City, with the City’s maximum contribution set at $60,000. ArtsAVL, the designated nonprofit arts agency for Buncombe County, will help evaluate the potential community and cultural benefits of such a facility as part of the ongoing Arts Recovery Plan, a project conducted by Lord Cultural Resources for ArtsAVL. 

Tropical Storm Helene has also afforded the opportunity to explore unique funding, such as  Economic Development Association (EDA) grants under their disaster recovery program. City staff are currently exploring these grant programs, with the intent to apply if the final project meets federal grant requirements.  This federal program offers grants to support the restoration of economic activity and long-term economic growth in disaster-impacted communities and regions.
 

Background

Since receiving direction from the Asheville City Council in the fall of 2023, the Department of Community Regional & Entertainment Facilities staff have been working on potential options with scopes and estimates to bring back to the Asheville City Council for renovations of the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. Throughout the process, the design team, Earl Swenson & Associates (ESA), and other third-party consultants encouraged staff not to rule out the possibility of a new build due to the potential total project budget. ArtsAVL convened a group of stakeholders to meet periodically beginning in October 2023.  The group has brought in numerous third-party advisors throughout the process, all at no cost to the City. In each case, it was recommended to examine a new build project rather than a renovation of the auditorium. Throughout this timeframe, staff re-ignited a previous conversation with ATG, which led to a discussion of a predevelopment agreement and the execution of the MOU. 

 

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Discover more about the economic impact of the arts at ArtsAVL.org.