Nestled along the Swannanoa River, the historic Biltmore Village endured catastrophic flooding during Hurricane Helene, with water levels reaching up to 26 feet in some buildings. Kara Irani of the Historic Biltmore Village Association noted that while some businesses in the area are adept at managing minor flooding, nothing could have prepared them for the storm’s unprecedented severity.

Since the late September flooding, the Biltmore Village Association has been holding weekly triage meetings with municipal officials. These discussions cover critical topics such as updating flood maps, streamlining permitting processes, and expediting rebuilding efforts. While the City of Asheville has been working to support businesses in their recovery, broader issues like stormwater drainage, dredging, and riverbank widening are part of longer-term planning.

“There are a lot of conversations with structural engineers, electricians, and others about what rebuilding looks like in Biltmore Village,” Irani said. “When people have the ability to, they are doing as much as they can to rebuild in a way that’s better than before. We have these nuisance floods that are not to the severity of Helene’s, but this foresight will put these people in a good position to get their buildings back open.”

Collaboration with city officials has proven beneficial, as both Asheville and Buncombe County depend on the economic vitality of Biltmore Village. Joint efforts are underway to accelerate recovery and restore the area.

The Historic Biltmore Village Association has worked to identify grants and loans to aid rebuilding efforts. While small business loans offer some relief, many businesses require grant funding to fully recover. Organizations like the Historic Preservation Society and the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County have offered microgrants, and the HBVA continues to offer guidance to help owners navigate the restoration process.

The challenges of rebuilding are compounded by the financial burden on business owners. Many lacked flood insurance, and for those who had it, the coverage often falls short of the actual damages. Some owners are exploring creative solutions, such as raising building elevations, but these efforts must balance modern resilience with preserving the Village’s historic charm.

Interestingly, older structures like the Cathedral of All Souls have proven more resilient than newer buildings.

“Old hardwood timber frames did not get destroyed nearly as much as some of the newer-built buildings,” Irani said. “That’s been interesting to watch, and I’m hoping that’s a learning experience for folks — when you use these high-quality materials, yes, they’re much more expensive, but they are also far more resilient.”

The storm has fostered a sense of unity among Asheville’s business community. To sustain operations, many Biltmore Village businesses have partnered with others to set up temporary locations or expand their e-commerce offerings. Biltmore Village businesses have begun collaborating with their counterparts in the River Arts District, which experienced similar flooding. Together, they are developing marketing campaigns aimed at boosting visitation while advocating for stronger infrastructure and improved flood mitigation along the region’s rivers.

“If they’re going to be doing this work, they are looking at how they are doing it so they can mitigate the ongoing nuisance flooding that we know is going to happen with heavy rains in general,” Irani said. 

In late November, about 90% of Biltmore Village remained closed and under construction. However, the Biltmore Estate reopened on November 2, 2024, providing visitors with a glimpse of Asheville’s resilience while highlighting the storm’s profound impact.

“We’ve had a ton of folks reaching out asking who’s open,” Irani said. “People from outside of the area still have Asheville in their hearts, and they want to make sure that everybody’s going to be able to come back the way they were, if not better. It’s been an interesting balance to strike; the businesses who can get open and up and running as fast as they can are doing that, and for everyone else, we’re trying to get them resources and point them in the right direction of where they can start that cleanup and rebuild process. When the storm first hit, people were saying it’s going to take six to eight months to open back up, but we have seen that it is moving a lot faster than we originally anticipated, which is honestly pretty amazing.”