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Consultation Report Marketability Study Civic Center Project

      
[Cover] Consultation Report Marketability Study Civic Center Project,
Special Collections, D.H. Ramsey Library, UNCA

Housing Authority of the City of Asheville

This 1960 publication has the stated objective to “determine by market analysis the economic feasibility of a Civic Center surrounded by commercial and residential areas.” It examines whether putting a Civic Center in the downtown area would be a wise economic move.  Maps are included showing the current area and how it might look in the future, with both residential and commercial areas. The authors anticipate a boom in the population and the tourist industry in Asheville in coming years, and much of their hopes for the future economic success of Asheville are pinned upon the success of the Civic Center in attracting tourists and persuading them to extend their stays past the average 1.3 days. As the report states, “we believe that the Civic Center, through local folk dancing, could attain ultimate national stature in the same manner as Springfield, Missouri and Nashville, Tennessee.”  The report concludes, “We sincerely believe that this project is unique, in that marketability of all of the commercial and residential areas is dependent to some degree on the success of the Civic Center….Our conclusion is that the land utilization program is entirely feasible and that the land to be offered for reuse is readily marketable within the scope of the restrictions to be imposed on it for reuse.” A copy of the Consultation Report on Transient Housing, which examines the feasibility of building a motor hotel in the same civic redevelopment area, is appended.

Consultation Report

Roy Wenzlick & Co.
Saint Louis

Marketability Study
Civic Center Project
Asheville, NC

Marketability
study
Civic Center Project
Asheville, North Carolina

by Roy Wenzlick & Co. -------------------------Participating Staff

James R. Appel M. A. I.
Hiram C. Martin Jr.

Anthony Redmond
Attorney At Law
Asheville, N. C.

Telephone Garfield I-0706
706 Chestnut Street St. Louis 1, MO.

September 12,1960
 

Redevelopment Commission of
the City of Asheville
P.O. Box 7148
Asheville, North Carolina

Attention: Mr. Charles Dent, Executive Director

Gentlemen:

We are pleased to submit herewith six copies of our Marketability and Land Use Study of the Civic Center Urban Renewal Project Area, in accordance with our contract. In addition to the Marketability Study, the Transient Housing Study prepared under a separate contract has been incorporated in this report as an appendix.

We are of the opinion that the project is feasible and economically sound, providing the public and semi-public uses indicated are able to be consummated. We wish to suggest that no land be offered for sale to private developers until all of the land for public and semi-public use had been disposed of and structures on this land are actually under way.

The value of the land for resale purposes will be included in a separate Reuse Appraisal at a later date, but enough on this was collected to assure us that there would be a market for the land within a reasonable ranges of values. Such values cannot be computed accurately until the final disposition plan has been done by the planners.

Respectfully submitted
Hiram C. Martin, Jr.

HCM:bb

LAND UTILIZATION AND MARKETABILITY STUDY
CIVIC CENTER PROJECT
ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

I

INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

As authorized by State and Federal legislation, the Redevelopment Commission of the City of Asheville, North Carolina, is proceeding with plans for the clearance and redevelopment of a portion of the blighted area of the city. This report is concerned with the Authoritys' project known as N. C. R-13, or the Civic Redevelopment Project. This project is located adjacent to and north of the existing city and country buildings which sit facing west to a small plaza connecting to Park Square. The project extends north to the new east-west expressway, still under construction, but almost ready for use. It runs from approximately one-half block east of Market Street in an easterly direction bordered on the south by College Avenue and Poplar Street to the intersection with the Tunnel Road and the new expressway. The project is entirely contained in the City of Asheville, & Buncombe County. The planning consultants, Six Associates, Inc., are presently working on a preliminary redevelopment plan for this area which will be influenced to a considerable degree by this report. The proposed reuses are predominantly civic in nature with residential and commercial uses surrounding the civic area. Public and semi-public uses are to be the dominant uses of the redevelopment plan. Details of the project area's location and the proposed redevelopment plan are discussed in the next section. On the next page a map of the area to be acquired will be found.

The objective of this report is to determine by market analysis the economic feasibility of a Civic Center surrounded by commercial and residential areas. In addition to this market analysis, a transient room study is being conducted separately. The final result of this study is incorporated as a portion of this report in the appendix.

Project Area Map
Civic Redevelopment
Project NC-R-13

Legend
  Area Boundary
Expressway Right-of-Way Boundary
Areas to be included but not acquired

The final redevelopment plan will be drawn from the indications of feasibility of land uses indicated herein, and the subsequent marketability of this land. The conclusions as to marketability will be a result of factors affecting the real estate market in Asheville at the time of offering the property for sale. However, because of the civic nature of the redevelopment, much of the area is predetermined as marketable, for this purpose. This civic area must be considered on the feasibility of the civic project and on an alternate use.

A third study, to be prepared later is the reuse appraisal which will determine the fair market value of the various tracts of land after the site has been cleared and made available for the new uses, in accord with the redevelopment.

As for any commodity, demand must include not only desire for possession, but also the ability to acquire. Supply is not only the existence of a commodity, but its existence at the right place, at the right time, and at the right place. In this instance, the commodity involved, is cleared land in the project area, Naturally, a market analysis such as this must look to the future, which involves forecasting with all of its hazards. Therefore, it will not be possible to arrive at precise conclusions as to the demand and supply situation for new residential, commercial and civic uses sites in the Civic Redevelopment Project area. However, by investigating as many known factors as are available, it is possible to draw general conclusions as to economic feasibility. Actually, in this project the degree of success of the Civic Center in increasing conventions, drawing people downtown, providing parking relief, and changingtraffic [sic] routes will affect the marketability and consequently the reuses value of each site

to be offered for sale. It is desirable, therefore, for the Civic Center to be designed, financed and actually be under way prior to offering the balance of the project for sale,

During the course of this survey, staff members of Roy Wenzlick and Company have worked with or interviewed the staff of the Redevelopment Commission, the City of Asheville, the Plan Commission, the Pack Library, Six Associates, Inc., various civic groups and officials, churches, the Tourist Association, the Chamber of Commerce, and many others, resulting in the formulation of a generalized land use plan. This plan is an adaptation of the original proposal of the planning consultants, modified by street patterns suggested by engineers for the State Highway Department, and augmented by additions to the project area during the study period. Marketability of the parcels and the results of the consultation creating the plan are contained in this report. It is our understanding that this plan will be refined and resubmitted to us for the reuse appraisal.

In this report, the major features of the plan are discussed, and each major type of land use is considered as to its feasibility by market analysis except for the public and semi-public uses for which this approach is not pertinent.

The conclusions reached as to the highest and best use for the residential and commercial areas should be considered as guides for future development. We would advise against considering these conclusions as rigid and without possibility of modification. To confine redevelopers too much  in this project could result in too few bidders for the property.

II

CIVIC REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT AREA

LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION

The Civic Redevelopment Project area comprises a section in the heart of Asheville, just north of the City Hall and County Court House, east of Market Street, south of the Expressway running east to the north of College and Poplar Streets to the intersection of Poplar and the Expressway. This area is immediately east of the central business district and north of the City County Plaza. On the previous page, an exhibit shows the project area in relationship to the remainder of the city. The project area contains approximately 65 acres. (Exact acreage computations have not been made for this study as they will be included with the final redevelopment plan to be prepared by the planning consultants).

Included within the site are several structures that are not to be acquired. These include the Thomas Wolfe Home, the First Christian Church, the First Baptist Church (including the Childrens [sic] Building), the Baptist Church School, the Professional Office Building and Nursing Home, the Methodist Allen High School, two Negro churches and their parsonages, and the Junior High School. On page 2, a project area map shows these buildings which are to remain.

On page 10, we show a suggested Redevelopment Plan based on marketability. On this plan the interior street pattern shows Woodfin Avenue swinging south to connect to College which stops through traffic from going by the Baptist Church and allows a larger recreation and amusement are to the west. College and Poplar extension connects to Pack Square at the City County extension. Spruce Street crosses the Expressway and continues to the City County Plaza, and Charlotte crosses the Expressway and comes straight south to form the eastern terminus of a loop bypassing the central business district after circling the city and county buildings and returning to the Expressway at French

Broad and Montford Street. This interior street pattern will be the first step in an entirely new traffic alignment for the central business district, in conformity to a new comprehensive plan for the city.

Outside of the project boundary, to the west is to be the service and parking area of the central business district. Presently it is a mixture of office, retailing, wholesaling and some residential. To the south is a mixed residential and commercial area, while to the east and north, the project is effectively cut off from the surrounding area by the Expressway, except for one small block north of the Expressway. This block is primarily by residential areas with some commercial uses. The project therefore, is just to the east of the heart of the city. It should function to provide expansion, access parking and should be a new generator of business for the central business district.

The topography of Asheville generally consists of hills and valleys with rather steep slopes descending from the surrounding mountains to the Swananoa [sic] and French Broad Rivers. The average elevation above sea level for the downtown area is approximately 2200 feet. In the project area the lowest elevation is 2160 feet and the highest 2250. At the Court House and City Hall, the elevation is 2200 feet which means that the project area falls and rises from this point. The high spot is the eastern end and the low spot is just west of the Baptist Church. The only steep slopes occur just south of the Junior High School and in the two blocks to the west of the school. Each of these blocks slopes downward from the north to the south. Some grading and perhaps retaining walls will be necessary in these blocks. Otherwise the slopes are gradual enough to allow redevelopment to follow any desired pattern .

III

PROPOSED REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

COMPOSITION

The exhibit on the following page shows a suggested or proposed redevelopment plan based on the preliminary ideas of the proposed street realignment and generalized land use of the traffic consultant and the planner, respectively. We felt it necessary to place the areas generally before stating that a given number of acres of commercial, residential or public lands would be marketable. As a result, although we know that this plan might only resemble the final plan as to major street alignment and structures to remain, we have obtained some ideas of frontage, location and areas that would not otherwise be possible. We wish to emphasize that this plan is a suggested preliminary plan to show how the areas could be developed. Because it is preliminary, we have not accurately computed the acreages in each block. IN some instances, we have designated parcels as as convenience in estimating the approximate re-use values of blocks. We anticipate the reuse to fall into three main categories, namely, public or semi-public, commercial and residential.

The public or semi-public areas will contain the main Civic Center Building, (which should contain some commercial as well as cultural activities), parking areas, church expansions, and creation of additional play area for the Junior High School and the Allen High School. The Health Department could be augmented by including all other public and private health and welfare agencies grouped together close to the Court House and City Hall.

The commercial areas will be developed with a Chamber of Commerce building, a motor hotel and attendant service station, restaurant, etc., certain small shops attractive to transient trade, a recreation and amusement area, office buildings, and the required parking facilities for each.

Proposed Redevelopment Plan
CIVIC CENTER
PROJECT NC. R-13
ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

--- LEGEND ---
COMMERCIAL
RESIDENTIAL
PUBLIC & SEMI-PUBLIC

All of these uses are compatible with the results of the market analysis, but it cannot be over emphasized that they depend to some degree on the success of the Civic Center in design, activity, and local and tourist interest and participation. For this reason, we have included some suggestions of alternate uses and a statement dealing with the formation and function of a Civic Center Association of some type, which would buy the land and build the Civic Center.

IV

MARKET  ANALYSIS

GENERAL BACKGROUND

The City of Asheville is located in the Blue Ridge Mountain area about 30 miles from the highest peaks in the east. About 50 miles west are the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. Asheville is called the capital of Western North Carolina, and it serves as the home for the W.N.C. Regional Plan Commission and many other governmental functions. Twelve counties of Western North Carolina compose the district, which is mainly a series of valleys between the two ranges. The French Broad River flows through the valley into Tennessee. It is joined in Asheville by the Swananoa [sic] which comes from the mountains to the east. The mean elevation of Asheville is 2300 feet while the adjacent mountains rise to 5000 and 6000 feet. On the next page a trade area map shows the general location of Asheville.

The Asheville community is quite old, having been established in 1784. Buncombe County, of which Asheville is the county seat, was established December 5, 1791. In 1797 Asheville was incorporated and named in honor of Governor Samuel Ashe. Throughout its history, Asheville has been a very progressive community. This is established by such facts that although the population was only 6000, Asheville had the second electric street railway in the world in 1889. In this year, George Vanderbilt came to Asheville and began the purchases and construction that ultimately produced his great estate "Biltmore", today a must on the list of all tourists in the vicinity. The Southern Railway came to Asheville in 1894 and growth followed at a far greater rate than before. The first large industry for Western North Carolina was Champion Paper and Fibre Company, which located in the French Broad River Valley in 1906 and is still there employing thousands of people. Other large industries then located only a few miles from Asheville, the closest being American Enka Corporation which is now within the city limits. It employs over 2,000 persons. This 

OFFICE SPACE

The presence or lack of any commodity alone, does not determine the marketability or feasibility of offering it for sale. To be accepted, it must be needed and/or desired and be available at the right time in the right quantity and at the right price. In attempting to determine whether a need or desire for new office space existed in Asheville, it is not enough to say no, because the present space is 15% vacant. The thousands of square feet of available space may not be desirable at any price due to location, condition, age, price or other factors. It accured [sic] to us, therefore, to test the market for office space in the Asheville area, by asking the people who would be considered prospective users of such space if they needed, desired, or would use newly created office space. Accordingly, we prepared a questionnaire designed to acquire this

Telephone Garfield I-0706
706 Chestnut Street ST. Louis 1, MO.

September 23, 1960

The City of Asheville through the Redevelopment Commission is currently engaged in an Urban Renewal project designed to improve downtown Asheville. Our firm is conducting a survey in order to assist the Commission and the planners in determining the ultimate reuse of this area. The project is known as the Civic Center Redevelopment Project.

You can be of assistance to your city by filling in the attached questionnaire and returning it to us in the enclosed return envelope as soon as possible. This questionnaire is only concerned with office space, but you are urged to comment on any phase of this program in the space marked for "comments".

Results of this questionnaire are strictly confidential so you need not sign your name unless you so desire.

Thanking you for your cooperation, I am

Sincerely yours,

Hiram C. Martin, Jr.

HCM:bb

OFFICE SPACE QUESTIONNAIRE*

Select or Fill in

We are (not) interested in office space in the project area.
We would require approximately __________ square feet of space.
We would pay up to $3.00 - $3.50 - $4.00 - $4.50 - $5.00 per square foot per year.
We would like to be on ground - upper floor.
We need space to park ___________ cars for employees _____________ for others.
We need the following utilities in our space: water, gas, power wiring, other __________________ .
We would (not) like especially designed interior partitions.
We (do not) need cabinet work, sinks, labs, special floors.
We will have approximately ___________ employees.
We (do not) desire year round air conditioning.
Remarks:


* Any office buildings to be built in this area would probably be very near the County Court House. They would contain adequate parking facilities, be in a pleasantly landscaped area, have restaurant facilities, and be available to business firms and professional people. Rent would probably be from a minimum of $3.50 to a maximum of $5.00 per square foot depending on location, size, air conditioning, etc. Such a building would probably be available in 1964.

RECREATION & AMUSEMENT

Testing the market for a commercial recreation and amusement area is almost an impossible task without knowing the exact nature of the enterprise. To work backwards, however, we have tried to determine what types of business have been successful in the local area and elsewhere. Such items as the "Tweetsie" railroad, stage plays such as "Unto These Hills", and those put on by the "Flat Rock Playhouse," have been successful. Chimney Rock and other wonders of nature have been commercialized. Amusement parks with rides, zoos, pavillions, coffee houses, bowling alleys, miniature golf, and dance halls have been popular and well attended. Actually, in most cases, the market is what the promoter makes it. In the instance of downtown Asheville, the need is for an attraction that will bring both tourists and Asheville citizens into the downtown area. The suggested plan designating as commercial amusement and recreation, some six acres, visible from the expressway and adjacent to the downtown area should certainly be attractive to investors in the amusement and recreational field. There are a minimum of 250,000 visitors of the tourist type each year in Asheville, approximately 100,000 more pass through without spending a night. Approximately 130,000 more people live in the greater Asheville primary trade area. It is easy to show a prospective redeveloper that over 500,000 people per year would be exposed to this site. With the completion of the Civic Center, additional people will be constantly added to this already impres-[sive]

The type of amusement and recreation area we envision would include, in a non-garish but spectacular fashion, some rides and a small zoo for both children and adults, outdoor roller and ice skating rink, coffee house, restaurant with night club atmosphere, baseball cage, pitch and putt golf. Other items of local interest could be added, and the entire architecture would have a design peculiar to a "Landin [sic] the Sky" theme, perhaps surmounted by a tower with an observation platform and/or restaurant at the top to give identity to the group.

Other types of commercial recreation and amusement should be considered by the authority, but it should be kept in mind that a potential redeveloper might wish to use his own design such as a "Disneyland" or "Mountain Fantasyland". Therefore, the overall effect and character of the development should be the main judging point. Certainly the minimum potential of 500,000 customers per year, which does not even count convention tie-ins should more than establish a market for the land. The city would have to be sure that the zoning and the permits necessary for such a venture would be available to a redeveloper. (Even then it might be difficult to secure adequate financing, but we believe that this opportunity for a large area in the heart of a tourist city would be attractive to capital interest in commercial recreation and amusement). The principal planner, Anthony Lord, of the Six Associates firm, recently went to Copenhagen, Denmark and other European Cities to investigate various possibilities along this line. People interested in financing commercial recreation ventures accompanied himon [sic] the trip.

It is possible that the Civic Center Design would include a motel or hotel on upper floors. This would free the motel site for an alternate use. One non-commercial use would be to relocate the city market in this space. Certainly plans should not be frozen until all such possibilities are investigated.

CIVIC CENTER

When the reuse of land is scheduled as public or semi-public, it is not possible to have a market analysis per se, but it is necessary to determine feasibility of the land for the intended use. In the reuse appraisal such land is not priced as land for the use intended, but rather on the most feasible alternate use. There is no question or doubt that the alternate use for land designated for the Civic Center would be a commercial use, even though this might harm the existing downtown area. Because the entire project revolves arount [sic] the creation of the Civic Center and the subsequent operation of same, the problem of feasibility also becomes insignificant and hypothetical. Comment on this activity is apropos however. The Civic Arts Center, Inc., which is composed of 26 separate organizations, each engaged in a separate civic function, is ready  to sponsor or assist the project. The Chamber of Commerce has passed a resolution to work in every way to obtain certain desireable facilities in the Civic Center. Many other individuals, firms, and organizations recognize the importance of the project to Asheville, but do not know how they can help. Because the entire concept of the program is designed around the function of a Civic Center, it is imperative at this time to determine exactly who or what organization will buy the ground and build the building. An

It must be recognized, though, that commercial tenants cannot pay the entire cost of the operation of the Center. To do these things, we reiterate, all groups must agree as soon as possible on who will own and build. Money must be raised at once. It must be known to the entire community that the Civic Center per se, will be built. It must also be known to all potential redevelopers that the Civic Center will be built first. Every effort should be made to acquire and clear the land for the Civic Center Structures as soon as possible. Street changes can wait on construction, but the sooner the Civic Center starts up, the greater the momentum will become for both the remainder of the project and a revival of interest in the central business district. Everyone displaced by the project must move somewhere. Many of these businesses will fill existing vacancies in the central business district. This movement once started should help fan the flame of the Civic Center and thus help to create a better market for the remaining commercial and residential areas.

OTHER PUBLIC USES

Other land in the public and semi-public category is planned to allow the expansion or construction of churches, schools, the Health Department or plazas. Each is in a location desireable for the particular project. Each must be purchased by the appropriate group or governmental agency. These agencies, either public or private,

All of the land for public or semi-public use is not desireable as commercial. Hence the alternate use of the land in blocks P-3, P-4, P-5 and P-9 has been determined to be multiple family residential.

RESIDENTIAL

In determining the marketability of land for multiple family occupancy, we examined the building permits for the last five years, and the multiple family structures in existence. We were able to discover only 20 apartment houses designed and built as such, in Asheville. In the older areas many conversions have created multiple family units. The residential areas of Asheville are primarily of the single family variety. Four garden type FHA 608 projects were built about ten years ago which filled the need at that time. These projects are the Beverly Hills Apartments with 146 units, Edgewood Knoll with 168 units, Dunbar Court Apartments with 112 units, and West Hills Terrace with 80 units. All are two-story garden type apartments. The rent range is $80 to $120 per month depending on size and location. There is a waiting list for most of the units. On the following page there is a table of newspaper ads concerning rental property. The period covered is August 23, to September 3, 1960, inclusive. It must be remembered  that this is the close of the tourist season and most of the furnished apartments and houses are advertised for rent June 1 only. Even so, there were very few repeat ads. The average rental for an unfurnished two bedroom house was $65 - $80 and for an unfurnished apartment was $75 to $90 per month. The striking facts brought out by these ads were (1) the small number of ads in

Newspaper Ads - Asheville Citizen

Although we are talking about a market several years in the future ther [sic] is no historical reason to indicate a change in the pattern of construction which would cause many multiple family units to be built in the next few years. On the following page is a tabulation of building permits for the last five years. It shows only one multiple family project in five years, and this is not a private development.

Investigation of higher priced luxury apartments practically stopped at the Manor Apartments and these units are not strictly apartments, but are essentially tourist accommodations. Actually, there isn't a good high-rise apartment in Asheville.

In addition there will be an estimated 50 families per year displaced by public improvements in the next four years. The result is that the number of dwelling units created each year is not keeping up with the rate of population growth. The indicated growth of 7000 between the 1950 and 1960 census has largely occurred in the last five years at the rate of approximately 300 families per year. Compared to the dwelling units built, there is a shortage of 500 dwelling units over the last five years. Total employment figures for Asheville indicate that the upward trend in population for the last five years is accelerating, which would indicate a larger market unless building activity is increased in the interim. We have computed therefore, the following market in the project area, which we believe will be approximately one-half of the multiple family demand four and five years from now.

Garden Type         250 dwelling units
Luxury High Rise     95 dwelling units

ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
Building Permits

P. = permits
D.U. = dwelling units

CONCLUSION

We sincerely believe that this project is unique, in that marketability of all of the commercial and residential areas is dependent to some degree on the success of the Civic Center. We recommend that a schedule be established that allows the public and semi-public uses to be developed first so that potential redevelopers can have more facts than are here-in presented, on which to base their proposals for the land. Even though we have not made a reuse appraisal, and cannot do so until a redevelopment plan has been adopted, we believe that the project land will sell for approximately $1,200,000 to $1,300,000. We believe the project to be entirely feasible and feel confident that subject to the Civic Center going ahead first, there will be a market for the proposed reuse of the land. We believe that the land can be sold for the new uses over a period of three to four years. This should mean that the entire project could be completed by 1967. Sale of the project land at this rate would have no adverse effect on other land sales or developments in Asheville. In fact, the sale of this land should encourage other development.

Our conclusion is that the land utilization program is entirely feasible and that the land to be offered for reuse is readily marketable within the scope of the restrictions to be imposed on it for reuse.

3. Competitive rooms downtown will be unable to meet existing, or the future demand, and will need to be increased in the next 10 - 20 years if the Civic Center and the Comprehensive Plan are successful.

HCM:pe

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Roy Wenzlick & Co.        Economists  Appraisers  Counslors  Publishers

A third premise is that the final Redevelopment Plan will contain a desirable site for a motel in conjunction with the Civic Center, and that the plan will contain adequate parking, street realignment, and all other features to make an economically feasible project.

Proposed Redevelopment Plan
CIVIC CENTER
PROJECT NC. R-13
ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

--- LEGEND ---
COMMERCIAL
RESIDENTIAL
PUBLIC & SEMI-PUBLIC

In addition to tourists, and the normal visiting of a city the size of Asheville (over 100,000 in the metropolitan area), there is an average amount of business travel required to sustain the economy. On the next page, a chart is reproduced showing employment in Buncombe County. This county had a population of 129,879 in the 1960 census and constitutes the primary trade area for Asheville. The figures indicate that 39.2% of the population is employed, with the majority in non-manufacturing jobs. This justifies to a degree the Chamber of Commerce claim that 34% of the economy of Asheville is dependent on the tourist trade. Unfortunately there is no exact way to break down the travel business to show what percentage is normal for a city of this size. Certain studies have-been made that enable us to estimate with a fair degree of accuracy, however. The analysis which follows is a combination of facts insofar as is possible, and conservative estimates beyond that point.

BUNCOMBE COUNTY

BUNCOMBE COUNTY (continued)

The operators of these guest houses are either seeking extra money, are retired, or in some cases are actually making a living from the operation.

A fourth fact concerning existing tourist business, but only mildly affecting transient rooms, is that Asheville is a center for religious summer camps. Literally thousands come to the various assemblies, camps and retreats in the mountains. These are operated by Baptists, Methodists, Independents, and many other groups, some on a national basis. These people are classed as tourists, but only the over-flow finds its way into transient rooms. The Asheville economy, though, profits from food, gasoline, and other sales.

The total number of rooms used earlier is in reality, as far as motels and guest houses are concerned, a seasonal figure. Naturally, hotels, large motels and chain connected motels stay open all year. However, with the fall of occupancy

Location of Major Motels
Asheville, North Carolina Area

TOTAL - 70 MOTELS CONTAINING 1900 ROOMS
                 8 HOTELS CONTAINING 1200 ROOMS