Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies, and the real answers:
Question: After Ashville Watchdogbroke the news Tuesday about Costco submitting plans to the city of Asheville for a store in the Enka Commerce Park, several of you good readers raised questions about traffic concerns on nearby roads. In the “full disclosure” department, I also wondered about something regarding this development: Wasn’t the Enka Commerce Park supposed to be an industrial park? Didn’t it get a bunch of taxpayer dollars on that basis? So I’ll take a look at that, too.
My answer: Folks, this is Costco. I’m pretty sure most Asheville residents would spend a few days stuck on local roadways for the privilege of getting stuck in the traffic inside a Costco.
Real answer: First of all, it’s important to note that we’re very early in the development process, as the plans that were submitted went to the city’s Technical Review Committee first, and that body reviewed them Wednesday.
As I noted in The Watchdog’s story, the project “would require a conditional zoning since it is over 100,000 square feet,” according to Will Palmquist, principal planner with the city. “After the project is reviewed by the TRC, it would be reviewed by the Planning & Zoning Commission, and their recommendation would be forwarded to City Council for the final decision.”
So this project has a lot of hoops to jump through.
Christopher D. Medlin, district engineer with the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Asheville office, also noted that we’re early on in the development process.
“Currently, NCDOT has not received a site plan or traffic impact analysis from Costco,” Medlin told me via email. “Any development with a proposed site access to an NCDOT roadway must submit a driveway permit for site access.”
Medlin noted that depending on the development’s size, a traffic impact analysis may be required, too.
“The traffic impact analysis studies the need for roadway improvements to mitigate development site traffic,” Medlin said. “NCDOT’s TIA trip threshold is 3,000 daily trips. Many municipalities have more stringent trip thresholds, which can trigger the development to perform a traffic impact analysis for traffic impacts below NCDOT’s threshold.”
The proposed Costco would be built near the historic Enka Clock Tower and a large warehouse spec building recently finished by Samet Corp. The clock tower, part of the original American Enka manufacturing facility at the site, will be preserved. // Watchdog photo by John Boyle
The Costco is proposed for a 25-acre site near the landmark Enka Clock Tower, not far from a recently completed spec warehouse built by Samet Corp. In mid-February, developers, elected city and county officials, and economic development officials attended a ribbon cutting for the warehouse and a bridge leading into the property — a somewhat infamous “bridge to nowhere” that was started a decade ago.
That bridge will provide key ingress and egress to the proposed Costco via Smokey Park Highway and the recently completed Enka Heritage Parkway. The area is also accessible via Jacob Holm Way off Sand Hill Road, which also leads to Enka Intermediate School and the Bob Lewis Ballpark.
On school days, long backups are common when parents are dropping off or picking up students, a phenomenon I witnessed Wednesday. The intersection of Sand Hill Road and Sardis roads is another congestion spot.
Traffic often backs up on Jacob Holm Way off Sand Hill Road as parents wait to pick up or drop off students at Enka Intermediate Schools, as was the case Wednesday afternoon. // Watchdog photo by John Boyle
Steve Cannon, a division project development engineer with the NCDOT’s Asheville office, responded this week to an Enka resident’s questions regarding the possibility that “the widening of Sand Hill Road has been permanently canceled from the State Transportation Improvement Plan?”
“The answer is no, not permanently canceled,” Cannon wrote. “The Sand Hill/Sardis Rd project, U-6047, has not been canceled, officially or technically.”
Recent news reports have noted that numerous projects in the STIP, the state’s 10-year planning tool, have been defunded or cut, and that apparently included the Sand Hill project.
Cannon noted that the “information released recently is the proposed STIP for 2026-2035,” which the state Board of Transportation will vote on this summer. If approved, it will become the official program, Cannon noted.
“Technically, preconstruction activities, design and permitting, are funded to continue on the Sand Hill/Sardis Rd project,” Cannon wrote. “It is the right-of-way acquisition and construction activities that are proposed to be defunded and no longer be included in the 10-year STIP budget. The project has not been technically eliminated, but delayed.”
The NCDOT notes that rising material and real estate costs and other expenses have increased project costs across the state, which results in project delays.
The intersection of Sand Hill and Sardis roads in Enka is busy most times of day, and the possibility of a Costco coming to nearby Enka Commerce Park would add to congestion. // Watchdog photo by John Boyle
Some work has been done at the key intersection, with plans to finish up a turn lane there.
“The remaining work at the Sand Hill/Sardis intersection will be completed spring/summer of 2025,” Cannon wrote. “Work was not completed in the fall due to rescheduling to balance resource needs for recovery efforts and temperature restrictions for the remaining asphalt work.”
The Costco plans include 839 parking spaces. I found varying estimates of daily traffic at Costcos, and it’s safe to say the place will draw customers from around the region and generate thousands of trips per day.
Clark Duncan, executive director of the Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County, said the number of parking spaces alone “was pretty significant.”
“I would imagine that’s a much more impactful traffic count than the DOT had been contemplating for the current infrastructure,” Duncan said.
When the bridge and spec building opened, Duncan noted the bridge would likely carry about 250 trucks per week from the Enka Commerce Park. This week he said that figure was from a pre-pandemic traffic study.
The new Enka Commerce Park bridge, in the works for 10 years, opened last month. The bridge will provide key ingress and egress to the proposed Costco via Smokey Park Highway and the recently completed Enka Heritage Parkway. // Watchdog photo by John Boyle
Regarding the Enka Commerce Park being built for industrial uses, Duncan acknowledged that people love the idea of a Costco coming here, but he said final city approval for this site might prove more difficult than you might think.
“I personally think there’s a challenging path forward for them on that site,” Duncan said, noting that Costco has been looking in our area for about a decade, with potential sites rumored for Long Shoals Road and Airport Road, among others.
Meanwhile, Buncombe County has invested $10 million in the Enka Commerce Park, the NCDOT about $2.5 million and the federally funded Appalachian Regional Council $3.1 million.
“That’s a significant amount of taxpayer funding — and incidentally our last industrial park within city limits,” Duncan said. “We know the spec building is built, but there are two additional buildings of 235,000 square feet each that have been conditionally zoned already by City Council,” Duncan said. “And the owners, the developers, are actively pursuing letters of intent (from potential lessees) on those properties.”
The proposed Costco appears to overlap on at least part of those properties. I reached out to the developer, Martin Lewis of Fletcher Partners, as well as its partner on the project, Samet Corp., but didn’t hear back from either.
Ultimately, the rezoning will fall to Asheville’s City Council, which will have a lot to consider, including whether it wants the property to shift from manufacturing or industrial use, to retail.
“That’s a pretty big reversal from 10-plus years of planning on what was envisioned for that site,” Duncan said.
Duncan said other potential spots, such as commercial corridors or areas nearer to an interstate, would be “in most estimations, a better fit.” Duncan, who said he has not had any interactions with Costco, noted that the shift from industrial to retail did give him “a little heartburn.”
I’ve noted before that Costco is extremely picky in choosing locations, and developers have told me over the years that the company has rejected several sites around here. Costco does not comment on potential new stores until “until we are ready to share details about the new location — usually two to three months in advance,” a company spokesperson told me.
Plans provided by the city of Asheville show the location of a proposed Costco on Enka Heritage Parkway.
Assuming the proposal makes it all the way to City Council, members are going to have a lot to consider. People really want a Costco here and are sick of making the drive to South Carolina for their bulk purchases fix, but county leaders and others have stressed the need for high-paying industrial jobs for years.
“You know this area well enough to know that half a million square feet of industrial space is a unicorn, especially if you’re in a city facing economic recovery challenges,” Duncan said, referring to Helene damage.
He also noted that those potential spec buildings would likely bring a more significant tax base than a retail spot, as well as “a much greater density of high-wage jobs.”
Costco has a reputation for paying well, but industrial and manufacturing jobs typically pay more than retail.
The bottom line here is that the city is going to have a lot to consider, both on the traffic and land use sides. Remember: Nothing is ever simple in Asheville.
So don’t start counting your $5 rotisserie chickens before they’ve hatched.
Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Got a question? Send it to John Boyle at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org or 828-337-0941. His Answer Man columns appear each Tuesday and Friday. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.
SUMMARY: Jim Jenkins, a North Carolina baseball trailblazer and Negro Leagues player, exemplified resilience and excellence both on and off the field. His sons recall his superior skills—hitting, running, and catching—and how he faced challenges due to his skin color. Beyond baseball, Jenkins was a community father, teaching youths fundamentals and helping those in need. He shared a friendship with legend Hank Aaron, often attending Braves games with his family. His legacy endures through his children, who honor not just his athletic achievements but his kindness and humanity, inspiring future generations to carry on his impact.
James “Jim” Jenkins had a profound impact on the game of baseball as a trailblazer known in the Carolinas.
SUMMARY: A scientist reflecting on the politicization of science warns that ideological influence undermines objectivity, breeds mistrust, and hampers public understanding. The FY2026 budget proposal cut NIH funding by about 40%, saving taxpayers $18 billion, but only 1.5% of the total federal budget, while increasing defense spending by 13%. These cuts severely impact states like North Carolina, where science drives $2.4 billion in tax revenue and thousands of jobs. The cuts target indirect costs vital for research infrastructure and diversity efforts, mistakenly seen as ideological rather than essential scientific practices. The author calls for unity to prioritize facts over politics and protect scientific progress for societal and economic health.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-06-15 02:01:00
North Carolina’s U.S. House members voted along party lines on two Republican-backed bills: the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1), which cuts \$1.6 trillion in government spending, and the “Rescissions Act of 2025” (H.R. 4), which eliminates \$9.4 billion from entities like USAID and public broadcasting. Republicans called it a purge of waste, citing spending on drag shows and foreign projects. Democrats criticized the cuts as harmful and symbolic, calling the effort fiscally irresponsible. H.R. 1 passed 215-214; H.R. 4 passed 214-212. No Democrats supported either. A few Republicans broke ranks and voted against their party on each bill.
(The Center Square) – North Carolinians in the U.S. House of Representatives were unwavering of party preference for two bills now awaiting finalization in the Senate.
Republicans who favored them say the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, known also as House Resolution 1, slashed $1.6 trillion in waste, fraud and abuse of government systems. The Rescissions Act of 2025, known also as House Resolution 4, did away with $9.4 billion – less than six-tenths of 1% of the other legislation – in spending by the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Corp. for Public Broadcasting (PBS, NPR), and other entities.
Democrats against them say the Department of Government Efficiency made “heartless budget cuts” and was an “attack on the resources that North Carolinians were promised and that Congress has already appropriated.”
Republicans from North Carolina in favor of both were Reps. Dr. Greg Murphy, Virginia Foxx, Addison McDowell, David Rouzer, Rev. Mark Harris, Richard Hudson, Pat Harrigan, Chuck Edwards, Brad Knott and Tim Moore.
Democrats against were Reps. Don Davis, Deborah Ross, Valerie Foushee and Alma Adams.
Foxx said the surface was barely skimmed with cuts of “$14 million in cash vouchers for migrants at our southern border; $24,000 for a national spelling bee in Bosnia; $1.5 million to mobilize elderly, lesbian, transgender, nonbinary and intersex people to be involved in the Costa Rica political process; $20,000 for a drag show in Ecuador; and $32,000 for an LGBTQ comic book in Peru.”
Adams said, “While Elon Musk claimed he would cut $1 trillion from the federal government, the recissions package amounts to less than 1% of that. Meanwhile, House Republicans voted just last month to balloon the national debt by $3 trillion in their One Big Ugly Bill. It’s fiscal malpractice, not fiscal responsibility.”
House Resolution 1 passed 215-214 and House Resolution 4 went forward 214-212. Republican Reps. Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky were against the One Big Beautiful Bill and Republican Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Nicole Malliotakis of New York and Michael Turner of Ohio were against the Rescissions Act.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article presents a straightforward report on the partisan positions and voting outcomes related to two specific bills, highlighting the contrasting views of Republicans and Democrats without using loaded or emotionally charged language. It neutrally conveys the Republicans’ framing of the bills as efforts to cut waste and reduce spending, alongside Democrats’ critique of those cuts as harmful and insufficient fiscal discipline. By providing direct quotes from representatives of both parties and clearly stating voting results, the content maintains factual reporting without promoting a particular ideological stance. The balanced presentation of arguments and absence of editorializing indicate a commitment to neutrality rather than an intentional partisan perspective.
