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THE TOP 10 NEWSSTORIES OF 2017: 10, 9, 8 ...

By mid-2018, the 300 block of Seventh Avenue East will have five new businesses, including the two-story Triskelion taproom and Marco's Pizza.

 

No. 10. Seventh Avenue rising

The Hendersonville City Council saw drawings of brick paver crosswalks, leafy medians and handsome gateways on Seventh Avenue East. They talked about façade grants and heard a consultant describe an aggressive redevelopment strategy that would use eminent domain to bulldoze dilapidated houses and buildings. But in the end it was the market — the craft beer boom and an improving economy — that sparked progress on Seventh Avenue in 2017. The changing fortunes of the once-bustling Historic Seventh Avenue District was most striking in the upper end. In the 300 block, Triskelion Brewing Co.’s two-story taproom rose from the ground. Underground Bakery owner Matthew Hickman added Independent Beans espresso bar, dine-in and delivery chain Marco’s Pizza prepared to open and a fitness center moved in. As the year closed, increased traffic had sparked friction between the Hendersonville Rescue Mission and neighboring businesses. And suddenly a parking shortage —  a good problem to have — was becoming a topic. On the last day of the year, Triskelion will open its preview space to customers — in the brewhouse behind the taproom — and start pouring craft beer.

No. 9. Mail at the mall

Besides the talk of Publix — will they or won’t they break ground? — the most watched decision was where our our new post office would end up. Ever since the Postal Service announced it was looking for new digs, box holders and regular counter PostOfficeSearsStorecustomers had chattered about where they’d next have to go. Now they know: Blue Ridge Mall. “The Postal Service is excited to have secured a new location for the Hendersonville Post Office,” said Postal Service spokesman Phillip J. Bogenberger. The post office will be in the 7,000-square-foot space currently occupied by Sears, which plans to move a few doors down. “I just don’t associate the post office with a mall,” said Charlene Varnes, who also had concerns about accessing her P.O. box at night. “It should be a stand-alone building.” Hendersonville mayor pro tem Ron Stephens agrees with that. At the Dec. 7 council meeting, Stephens raised safety concerns and urged the council to register its dissatisfaction with the Postal Service’s decision. Others looked on the bright side. “Anything is better than this,” Mary Stroman said of the deteriorating brick building on Fifth Avenue. “The mall needs a shot in the arm.”

No. 8: A star departs

County Manager Steve Wyatt recalled his reaction when a delegation from the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development stepped into his office in September. “When they came to see me to deliver the bad news they looked like their dog had been run over,” Wyatt said. “I knew before they opened their mouth what they were going to tell me. I said, ‘That’s Elected officials and company manager celebrate the GF Linamar, one of Tate's last industrial catches.Elected officials and company manager celebrate the GF Linamar, one of Tate's last industrial catches.not bad news. Bad news would be, “We’re having to run this guy off because we’re not getting anything done.”’” The news that made their faces droop was that Partnership President Andrew
Tate had resigned to take a job with the North Carolina Railroad in Raleigh. “I’ve been doing this for 35 years,” Wyatt said. “In his role, he is as effective as anyone I’ve ever worked with. The results speak for themselves.” What were those results? Demmel, Empire Distributors, Legacy Paddlesports, UPM Raflatac Specials, Norafin, the Dirty Dancing film production, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Microtech Knives, Raumedic, PMA Tools, Bold Rock Hard Cider, Smart Products, Wingate University, Country Malt Group, GF Linamar. Those businesses made a taxable investment of $796,458,000 and created 2,070 jobs. “That’s going to change hundreds of lives,” Wyatt said.