Wendy’s to rebuild in Biltmore Village following Hurricane Helene
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A preliminary application for a new Wendy’s restaurant in Asheville’s Biltmore Village were filed with the City of Asheville on Wednesday. The restaurant will be rebuilt at 776 Biltmore Avenue after the former location was torn down following the catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Helene.
The 0.85-acre parcel sits just north of the Swannanoa River in a mapped FEMA flood zone. The rebuilt restaurant will need to comply Asheville’s updated flood rules adopted in January. These rules clarify elevation and other protections, including the requirement that new structures be built two feet above base flood elevation and that final elevation certificates be provided before occupancy.
Wendy’s operated at this address for decades before Helene’s floodwaters overwhelmed the site, forcing its closure and eventual demolition. This project is in its very early stages; actual site plans have yet to be submitted. However, the restaurant’s return would mark one of the first major chain restaurants to rebuild in Biltmore Village since the storm, a signal of renewed investment in a corridor that continues to grapple with flood recovery and ongoing questions about resilience in one of Asheville’s most vulnerable commercial districts.
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