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Asheville's Vision for Beaucatcher Park

Photo: TPL

In the nineteenth century, Asheville's boys and girls went to separate schools-their campuses on opposite sides of town. Local storytellers say that mountain trails circling the town offered quiet places for young couples to meet. Thus Beaucatcher Mountain got its name.

The city of Asheville has had the idea of creating an overlook park for years. In 1920, John Nolan, an early city planner, authored the first city plan for Asheville-delineating a circle of parks surrounding Asheville and major city parks in every neighborhood. The key component of the park system was an expansive overlook park along Beaucatcher Mountain, and open space connecting it to downtown Asheville and the surrounding neighborhoods. Eighty-seven years later, The Trust for Public Land is helping to make it happen.

Thirty acres of woodland covering the slope of Beaucatcher Mountain is serving as a catalyst to revive the overlook park vision. The site is perfectly situated to be the centerpiece of a new vision for the area. Other city-owned lands, including McCormick Field, Memorial Stadium and White Fawn Reservoir, the site of a proposed Sister Cities Park, surround the proposed park. The Asheville Greenways Master Plan shows a broad greenway connector extending from downtown through the Overlook Park continuing along the Beaucatcher Mountain ridgeline.

Given the short timeline of the option, TPL put together a funding plan that shared the financial responsibility among five partners: TPL, the State of North Carolina (Parks & Recreation Trust Fund), private donors, the City of Asheville, and Buncombe County. TPL's share is a bequest from the estate of Jake Rusher whose desire was to establish more open space for the city he loved.

Lead by community volunteers John Cram, Scott Riviere, and City Councilwoman Robin Cape, TPL mounted a private fund raising campaign to raise $575,000 and started working with the City Council and County Commission to build support for the project. In just six weeks, we reached the private fundraising goal and secured the city's and county's financial commitments.

"This was truly a cooperative effort between the neighborhoods, state and local governments, and of course, the conservation community," says TPL project manager Maggie Clancy. "We had a very limited time to raise $2.6 million and thanks to our public and private partners and to the citizens of Asheville and Buncombe County, we did it. Without everyone's enthusiastic support, this project would never have gotten off the ground."

TPL acquired the Beaucatcher tract in June, and is conveying it to the City of Asheville in a 3-year lease purchase arrangement. TPL extends a special 'Thank You' to the landowners, Stan Greenberg and his family. The new park will display a memorial to Mr. Greenberg's mother-in-law, Sophie Goldberg, who inspired the family's resolve to conserve this beautiful land as a city park.

Acquiring the land was the crucial first step to create Beaucatcher Overlook Park. We are now embarked on the final phase - $1.1 million for the planning and development of the park designed to ensure a safe and enjoyable park experience.

Posted 11/2007