In the River Arts District, Helene's Flood Line Is Now Something You Can Walk Up To

Two years after Helene, the studios in Asheville's River Arts District are open again. The city-owned riverfront parks beside them are on a longer, federally funded rebuilding schedule that begins with demolition. Over that time the district has chosen to keep the flood visible. At one studio on Depot Street, the high-water mark is now a permanent piece of community art.

That gap between the two sides is the clearest way to understand the RAD this fall. Businesses and artists moved first, sometimes into new buildings, sometimes back into gutted ones. The public parks and greenway sections along the French Broad are on a schedule that runs to 2030. If you haven't been down to Depot Street or Lyman Street since the cleanup, the district you'll find is open, busy and openly marked by what happened there.

The line on the wall at 408 Depot Street

Local Cloth, the fiber arts nonprofit at 408 Depot St., took on more than 10 feet of water during Helene. Founder Judi Jetson described the first visit after the storm to WLOS: "Immediately after Helene, I had to pull on my red rubber boots to get here because there was mud this thick on the drive and on the sidewalk."

Local Cloth reopened in late summer 2025, about a year before the project's dedication, Mountain Xpress reported. Then it decided to keep the flood mark instead of painting over it. The WaterLine Project is a continuous line of fiber art running around the studio at the height the water reached, nearly 11 feet up the walls. It is made entirely of pieces contributed by the community. Anyone can add a 2-by-6-inch piece in any fiber material or technique. Mountain Xpress reported that the project has no submission deadline, and pieces can be dropped off during studio hours in a box under the retail shop desk.

Local Cloth set the installation's dedication for Sunday, September 27, 2026, two years after the storm. Mountain Xpress listed it as free to attend. The line is meant to be permanent. Local Cloth's retail shop is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The project matters beyond one building. On a stretch of Depot Street that was buried in mud two years ago, the high-water mark is now something you can stand under. It shows how much water came through, and it's made from hundreds of contributed pieces of fabric and yarn.

The private side of the river came back on its own timeline

Local Cloth is one of many. Through 2026 the district has been filling back in, building by building. Some tenants returned to their old spaces, and some moved into new ones.

The tenant list at Cotton Mill shows how the district is changing as it rebuilds. Mountain Xpress reported in June that Luxe House Photographic and Align Asheville came back. New names arrived alongside them: Asheville Fine Arts, Ochre Rose Gallery, Linsey Grey Art & Design, Alison Press, Diane McEachen's Bleu Pansy and ArtPlay Studio NC. Guajiro, Chris Barroso's Cuban comfort-food business, was close to opening a storefront in the building as of that June report. Check before you go hungry.

At Wedge, the Friday "Records in the RAD" music series now runs at Wedge Studios, 37 Paynes Way, and Wedge's site lists resident food trucks at both Paynes Way and Foundy Street. The weekday calendar is full again too. On October 23, the River Arts District Artists calendar lists a watercolor workshop at Trackside Studios, make-your-own sessions in the North Carolina Glass Center's hot shop, and an Art and Film Experience at Jaime Byrd Contemporary Art that runs through the weekend.

The public side is still at the demolition stage

Walk a few minutes toward the river and the timeline changes. The city's French Broad Riverfront recovery covers Carrier Park, French Broad River Park, Amboy Riverfront Park, the Craven Street boat access, Jean Webb Park, Wilma Dykeman Greenway, French Broad River Greenway and city property at 314 Riverside Drive. All of them are grouped into one FEMA Public Assistance project.

Here is where things stand this fall:

• Wilma Dykeman Greenway is open daily, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Its RAD trailheads are at Amboy Road and Lyman Street and at Hill Street and Riverside Drive. The planned mile-long extension toward Broadway is still future work. The city's greenway page sends visitors to the riverfront recovery project for location updates.
• French Broad River Greenway is open between Amboy Riverfront Park and Hominy Creek River Park, and between Craven Street Trailhead Park and French Broad River Park. The section through French Broad River Park is still closed because of Helene damage, according to the city's greenway page.
• Demolition is under contract. On July 28, 2026, Asheville City Council approved a $396,657.84 contract with Austin Construction Co., plus a $40,000 contingency. The work covers seven damaged buildings and dozens of park amenities along the river. The start date depends on environmental and historic preservation permitting, which the minutes said could run through fall 2026.
• Rebuilding comes after that. As of summer 2026 the design was 30% complete. The design phase is expected to last into early 2027, followed by phased construction on a timeline the city has not set yet. The project page estimates the cost at $63 million and anticipates construction from 2027 to 2030.

The two sides of the road work on different scales. A studio can reopen once its own building is ready. The riverfront is a $63 million public project, and the $396,657.84 demolition contract is less than 1% of that estimate. Clearing damaged buildings is the first phase, and most of the work is still being designed.

RADfest brings the crowd to the gap

The district's next big weekend is the third annual RADfest, a two-day art and music festival on Saturday and Sunday, November 14 and 15, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This year adds a free LaZoom shuttle from downtown Asheville into the district, with a live band on board, RADA board member Carol Spagnuola told WLOS. She also explained the timing. "We hope that we have tourists and locals alike coming to our district, having a really great time and supporting our economy because it's really important that we lead into the winter months that way," Spagnuola said.

A few practical points for the weekend:

1. Shuttle details. Pickup points and schedules weren't published as of late October, and event listings give different addresses for the festival. Check riverartsdistrict.com closer to the date.
2. Parking. The River Arts District Artists' FAQ says parking in the district is free, both on the street and in designated lots outside studios.
3. Hours beyond the festival. The same FAQ lists 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. as typical studio hours, which matches Local Cloth's shop hours.
4. A route that ties it together. Start at Local Cloth on Depot Street for the WaterLine. Continue to Trackside Studios at 375 Depot St., then cross toward Lyman Street for Village Potters' new space. If you want to see where the public recovery stands, finish on the Wilma Dykeman Greenway.

The artists are planning for the next flood

The group that organizes RADfest is also planning the district's longer future. The River Arts District Artists Foundation is planning a Creative Campus of more than 33,000 square feet across two buildings. It would offer affordable studio and creative manufacturing space, workforce development, classrooms and apprenticeships, and a permanent welcome center for visitors. RADA President Jeffrey Burroughs described one more piece to WLOS:

"There will be a resiliency hub that is a part of the Creative Campus, so we're prepared for the next storm."

No opening date has been announced. The plan follows the same approach as the WaterLine on Depot Street. The district's artists treat the flood as part of the place and build around it.

From my years in Henderson County and the Asheville area, the details that tell me most about a place are the ones people decide to keep, like a stitched line at 11 feet or a studio reopened in a new building on Lyman Street. If you're walking the River Arts District this fall and want to talk about how the riverfront's recovery fits into the rest of Asheville, Sandra Thomas is glad to compare notes. Let's Connect.