South Asheville News

U.S. Congressman Chuck Edwards (NC-11) announced today that the Department of the Army will fund a $32 million project in Asheville, N.C. The contract includes the construction of a U.S. Army Reserve center, vehicle maintenance facility, and organizational storage building in the Asheville vicinity, with completion expected by June 2026.

“Western North Carolina, with its mountainous terrain, has the attributes for a unique role in doing our part to support our military and reservists, and I’m pleased that the Department of the Army has agreed with the approach taken by my House-passed NDAA amendment,” said Edwards. “This project will not only benefit our armed forces, but it is also an opportunity for military leaders to explore additional avenues that WNC could contribute to our nation’s military readiness, such as taking advantage of our topography, which is similar to that of many of our adversaries, for military training.”

The project will include a 300-member Army Reserve Center (ARC) in the Asheville area. The main facilities to be constructed are:

- ARC Training Building (34,445 square feet)

- Vehicle Maintenance Shop (VMS) (12,876 square feet)

- Unheated Storage Building (1,672 square feet)

Activities will encompass land clearing, paving, concrete aprons, vehicle wash rack/platform(s), fencing, general site improvements and utility connections. Accessibility for disabled individuals will be provided at all facilities.

The House passed the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025. This included Edwards’ amendment requiring the Department of Defense to survey the 15 counties in North Carolina’s 11th District as potential locations for future defense facilities and report its findings to Congress. Western North Carolina’s topography is much like that of many U.S. adversaries and would be advantageous for U.S. military training.