From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE — UNC Asheville's Board of Trustees “authorized a 99-year ground lease between the university and UNC Asheville Endowment Fund to negotiate a mixed-use development on 54 acres of campus property, which includes a beloved wooded area neighbors, students and faculty are fighting to save,” the Asheville Citizen Times reported on July 15.

“The July 11 decision is the next step in a sprawling multimillion dollar project that proposes a 5,000-seat soccer stadium, market-rate apartments, retail and parking for the south campus woods property,” the ACT noted. 

The endowment fund would then enter into a lease with a developer.

A presentation to the board, by UNCA spokesman Brian Hart, “named the prospective developer as Asheville Stadium District Real Estate Project, LLC, which is managed by Ohio-based Mark McCullers, according to N.C. Secretary of State Business Registration records,” the ACT noted.

“McCullers is principal of McCullers Group, a sports business management and consulting company behind other stadium projects, like those in Greenville, South Carolina, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio.

“The unanimous vote came with little to no public-facing discussion following a nearly two-hour closed session meeting.

“UNCA will request authority to negotiate a ground lease with the developer from the Board of Governors in the future, spokeswoman Eden Bloss said July 14. She said the developer was selected because of its collaboration with the local soccer club, its industry track record and opportunities for university participation, housing and retail development contiguous to campus.”

Meanwhile, Bloss said the developer will not be finalized until after UNCA receives approval to negotiate and execute the lease.

Following months of community concern, questions and anxiety around possible development of the 45-acre property, known by some as “the woods” or the “experimental forest,” UNCA announced its stadium project plans in early June.