Appalachian Energy Blog

Lately the old adage, “may you live in interesting times,” has really been ringing true around here at Appalachian Energy, with the latest addition being the proposed Rivercane development, literally in our backyard. If you haven’t heard about it, now is the time, because this project is going to be raising the sustainable development bar.

Imagine 38 acres of wooded land overlooking the Black and Blue Ridge mountains. The property is minutes away from Hendersonville Road, with easy access to Fletcher, Hendersonville and Asheville. It sits a stonesthrow from the Steelcase building (our home), offering instant commutes while remaining in natural isolation beside Cane Creek. Imagine 400 residential units, ranging from town homes to mutli-family units nested among local shops, cafes, restaurants and office space. Trails meander throughout parks, village greens and even connect to the greater greenway at Fletcher Community Park, a quarter mile away. Now imagine all this with solar.

Rivercane is proposed to become the nation’s LARGEST solar heated and cooled residential development and is iconic for our vision as a company. All facilities will receive water and air heating and cooling from the sun, collected in 1,600 solar panels. This will meet the majority of the development’s energy demands, while drastically reducing costs through our, now proven, RESCO model.

But Rivercane is exciting beyond a large-scale solar installation, because we self-identify with it in so many ways. This project represents revitalization. The project site (previously the old Asheville airport) has remained vacant for decades, but will become a center of community-oriented economic development. This project represents innovation, integrating a host of sustainable practices ranging from mixed-use to the best methods of the Healthy Built Homes program. Development and conservation will go hand in hand as over 24 acres of land will remain in preservation, with 18 acres being permanently dedicated to the Carolina Mountain Conservancy.

Rivercane will be built for people, not cars; community, not sprawl; and will redefine modern sustainability. Stay tuned.