It’s been a busy couple of weeks that yielded lots of interesting tidbits. I've learned a lot, including about the Haywood County housing market, some of the history of the Canton Mill, the benefits of using Biochar and more!

Haywood real estate remains steady

Thomas and Christine Mallette with Better Homes and Garden Heritage Realty at the Maggie Valley Chamber Rise and Shine event

While real estate sales have slowed nationally, that hasn’t been the case in Haywood County.

Tom Mallette of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Heritage recently shared local statistics showing home sales are up 7% so far this year.

611 homes have sold at an average price of $453,000.
The average Asheville home price is about $550,000.
There have been 140 land sales, roughly on pace with last year.
Homes are averaging 70 days on the market.

Tom shared the information during a Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce Rise and Shine meeting, a monthly gathering hosted by chamber members.

Looking at intentionally affordable housing

Last week a group of affordable housing advocates had the opportunity to tour BeLoved Asheville, which has developed what it calls “deeply affordable” housing in Buncombe County.

It was a new term for many of us participating in the tour, but the concept is straightforward: finding ways to make safe, stable housing affordable for people who otherwise might believe decent housing is out of reach.

This was the first of several housing tours I’m arranging with a group of about 15 organizations and community members who are passionate about finding workable housing solutions for Haywood County.

From left are D’Vorah Nadel, ReBuild Haywood; Amy Cantrell, Beloved Asheville Co-Director, Lorelei Garnes, Vicki Hyatt, Grantham Hansen and Em Nidiffer, ReBuild Haywood and Joel Henderson, Haywood Community College.

At BeLoved Asheville, 12 homes, each about 575 to 625 square feet, were constructed on a single acre. Fundraising and community “barn raisings” helped cover construction costs. Each home cost approximately $94,000, and the development uses a rent-equity model.

What interested me just as much as the homes was the community being created around them.

Residents contribute 10 hours of volunteer time each month in ways that fit their interests and abilities. A retired preschool teacher offers story time. Another resident organizes potlucks and social gatherings. One couple picks up trash, while another produces a monthly newsletter.

Neighbors also help one another when a child is sick, someone needs a ride or a family hits a difficult stretch.

BeLoved Asheville is now working on a 19-home community for families whose homes were lost during Hurricane Helene. Those homes will be larger and are expected to cost approximately $168,000 each.

The Haywood County group touring the development included representatives from ReBuild Haywood, the Waynesville Housing Authority, Haywood Community College, Haywood Habitat for Humanity and Homes for Hope.

There is much more for us to learn.

Our next visits will include housing models offered by Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM) and other developments across the region. I’ll continue sharing what we learn and, most importantly, which ideas might make sense for Haywood County.

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Spending the Day in Canton

My final summer tour highlighting Haywood communities and businesses took us to Canton, where participants learned about biochar, toured the former paper mill, ate and shopped locally and visited the Mill Town Farmers Market.

A new direction for Suncrest Mulch

John and Susan Fletcher of Suncrest Mulch, formerly Suncrest Lumber, shared the dramatic impact the paper mill closure had on the timber business, including theirs.

The mill had been a major customer for sawmills throughout the region. When its closure was announced, Suncrest went from about 50 employees to five overnight.

The Fletchers first pivoted toward producing high-quality mulch and topsoil. Following Hurricane Helene, they have also been expanding their work with biochar. Biochar is a carbon-rich material that can be added to soil to help retain water and improve soil conditions.

The Fletchers believe it could become an increasingly important product for agriculture and our region’s wood-products industry.

There is much more to tell about what they are doing, so I plan to devote a future newsletter to Suncrest and biochar.

A rare look inside the Canton Mill

Another highlight of the Canton tour was something many people had been waiting years to experience: an opportunity to go inside the former paper mill.

Because the property is now an active demolition site, Two Banks Development, LLC, limited the tours to 30 people each for safety reasons.

When I first approached the company about offering public tours, they agreed but wondered how much interest there would be. We quickly got our answer.

All 60 available spaces filled, with additional people asking to join a waiting list.

Luke Williams, director of engineering for Two Banks Development, led participants through the massive site where approximately 900 people once worked before the mill's closure.

For some, it was their first opportunity to see what was behind those doors. For former employees, it was an opportunity to see just how much the site has changed as equipment has been removed.

Terryll Evans, owner of WPTL and a new member of the Haywood Community College governing board, described the experience this way:

“I always wondered exactly what went on behind those doors. Every corner you went in, you could see how it was built, the number of jobs affected and what part everybody played in the history — from the first people who stepped foot in there to the last days when chairs were just sitting empty. It was like seeing a part of history that just stopped.”

Terryll said her father, Bill Rech, who started WPTL in the 1970s, always told her that if the mill ever shut down, it would be the end of Canton.

Thankfully, Canton is proving otherwise.

See more tour photos on Facebook

What happens next at the Mill site?

Williams said Two Banks Development will be offering additional public tours now that it’s proven that interest is high. The next tour will be in a month and those interested should follow Two Banks Development on social media.

Demolition of the site could take another couple of years, depending in part on how quickly companies purchasing mill equipment are able to remove it.

Ferguson said the company is making an effort to reuse or repurpose equipment whenever possible.

As Williams explained: “It’s faster to tear down than to preserve.”

You may have seen one example recently: the massive natural gas boiler that traveled through Haywood County on its way to a new home in Mexico.

As for the long-term future of the property, many decisions are still ahead.

Two Banks Development representatives have been participating in community planning sessions about Canton's future. Company owner Eric Spirtas attended the most recent public session to “listen and learn,” and company representatives continue meeting with town and county leaders.

Their website carries the phrase “Building Tomorrow in Canton.” That is exactly the conversation our community is having now.

Whether we're talking about housing, jobs, redevelopment or new industries such as biochar, I believe one of my responsibilities as a county commissioner is to keep asking questions, bringing people together and looking for ideas that can work here in Haywood County.

I appreciate everyone who has participated in these tours, shared ideas and taken the time to stay informed.