Welcome !

Asheville Frequently Asked Questions

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• ONE PAGE POSTER: Here's a general site information summary to print!

  These posters are intended to be printed and physically hung around the community seasonally at locations within one mile of the site.  The information is intentionally general, as site updates and changes happen weekly, if not daily, and we want the information on the posters to remain relevant throughout each season.  For the most up-to-date information, please call our site information 800 number 888-598-9552 (updated at least monthly) or, better yet, take a look at the Site Stories page.

  
  

  Spring 2013 Printable Poster

  
  

  December 1, 2012 Printable Poster with Updates

  October 1, 2012 

  (Hint: right click on link and 'open in new tab'.)

• QUESTION or CONCERN: What if I have a concern during the construction process and I need to reach someone right away?

  Site construction will be a challenging time. Truck traffic will increase and there will be noise and dirt. We have limited our hours of operation, we will abide by all City noise ordinances, and we’ll take care to keep the process as efficient as possible.  The Craven Street Improvements happening around the brewery are a City of Asheville project, and information below guides you to the proper contacts.  Thanks for your patience and understanding during this time.

  
  

  Your question may be answered in our FAQs.  If not, check the Online Site Updates 

  
  

  NewBelgiumAsheville Facebook

  
  
  

  Toll-free Site Updates 1-888-598-9552

  
  
  

  General or Non-Emergency Site Question Email

  When you send an email to AshevilleBrewery@NewBelgium.com our talented co-worker Nora reviews them weekly and distributes them appropriately, so your question or comment gets into the right hands.

  Non-Emergency Site Concern
  Kent Calvert, Adolphson & Peterson Construction:  828-281-7012

  
  

  Site Emergency Call 911

  
  

  Non-Emergency Off-Site Concern (including all Craven Street work)
  Marsha Stickford, Neighborhood Liaison: 828-259-5506  

  McCray Coates, Craven Street Project Manager: 828-450-7921 from the City of Asheville

  Craven Street Improvement Page, City of Asheville

  
  

  City of Asheville Citizen Alert System
  Call 2-1-1 and ask to receive the City’s Delta Alerts via phone
  or sign up for them online 

  
  

  
  

• STAY INFORMED: How can I keep up to date with what’s happening?

  Thanks for your interest!  There are many ways to keep up with what’s going on:

  Join us at our community meetings and open houses.

  We have had a few public meetings that are open to everyone, and will post any future community meetings on this website as well as through other public outreach channels.  Most recently:

  New Belgium Neighborhood Open House: Our Partners + Our Process was Thursday, March 7, 2013 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Isis Restaurant + Music Hall.  

  
  

  Check in on this website, particularly the Site Stories page.

  
  

  We will be keeping this website updated as information is available so please check back to the Site Stories page often.  These frequently asked questions are compiled from the questions we heard at meetings with the community, so please take a look at them before you submit a question that may already be answered.  Take a look at the notes from the Leader Roundtable meetings.  The City of Asheville also has a project page here for questions about infrastructure improvements along Craven Street.

  
  

  Join a business or neighborhood association or group.

  To develop closer relationships with our immediate neighbors, we are getting together with the boards (elected leaders) of official neighborhood and business associations adjacent to our site.  We plan to communicate with organized groups so that we receive the collective community voice, and to make outreach more streamlined.  These neighborhood and business associations adjacent to the stockyard site are serving as a communication conduit to the City of Asheville and New Belgium.

  Here are summaries from our past Leaders' Roundtable meetings:

  2012: July 27, 2012  September 27, 2012   November 1, 2012  November 29, 2012  

  2013: January 3, 2013  April 8, 2013  May 28,2013

  
  

  If you are an Asheville neighbor and you'd like to get involved, please contact one of these organizations:

   

  River Arts District Artists, River Arts District Business Association, West Asheville Business Association, Green Opportunities, East West Asheville Neighborhood Association, Southside Community Advisory Board, WECAN, Hall Fletcher Neighborhood Association, Asheville Riverfront Redevelopment Coalition, Livingston Neighborhood, HACA Residents Council, Asheville on Bikes

  If you’d like to form a neighborhood association or find out if there is one available in your area, please contact Marsha Stickford from the City of Asheville.  mstickford@asheville.nc.gov

  Look for signs + posters.

  We are providing seasonally updated posters at key businesses in the River Arts District and West Asheville for those who do not have internet access.

  
  “Like” us on Facebook.

  
  

• ROADS: What's going on with road improvements?

  The City of Asheville and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) are responsible for working on the roads to accommodate increased vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic in West Asheville.  Click here for the proposed primary and secondary New Belgium truck routes.

  The NC DOT will work on Haywood Road from 240 to Beechum’s Curve and down to Craven Street.  

  The City of Asheville is working on Craven Street and 5 Points Intersection at Clingman and Roberts Streets, including new sidewalks.  The City is also installing the greenway on New Belgium's site along the French Broad River that will connect Craven St. and Haywood Rd.  The river greenway will be public, and operate under the normal park ordinance hours of dawn til dusk.  It will be managed, maintained, and operated separate of New Belgium by the City. Contact Craven Street Improvements Project Manager, McCray Coates with questions about these improvements.

  Craven Street, as well as several local intersections, will be improved and widened using an easement onto the New Belgium property to accommodate truck traffic as a part of the City of Asheville's proposed infrastructure improvements.  Bike lanes and sidewalks will be included as a part of the Craven Street improvements by the City of Asheville.  

  Craven Street Improvements Plan and cross-section.

   

   

   

• TRUCKS: How many trucks will be coming to and from the site?

  During our first year, 2015, we'll be ramping up production and anticipate 25-35 trucks a week, or 5-7 per day, going to the brewery Monday through Friday during regular business hours, with all of those also coming back out from the brewery.  As we reach full build-out, some 7 years later, there could be up to 52 trucks per day, or about 2 per hour, 24 hours per day. Here's a table with the details:

  Trucks/day Trucks/hour Hour/day Ops 2015 6 0.50 12 2016 17 1.39 12 2017 26 1.65 16 2018 30 1.90 16 2019 36 1.50 24 2020 42 1.73 24 2021 45 1.86 24 2022 52 2.17 24

  We are coordinating with neighborhood and business associations every couple of months to hear the collective voice of the neighborhood, and communicate with our neighbors.  At their suggestion, we will contact mapping programs to do our best to ensure that GPS systems route vehicles down Haywood and Craven, rather than residential streets.  

  The City of Asheville is working on Craven Street improvements. NC DOT is working on Haywood Road infrastructure.  

   

   

• TIMELINE: What's the tentative project schedule?

  As of May 2013, we are adjusting our timeline to coincide with our capacity needs.  Our Fort Collins brewery recently had 70,000 barrels of capacity added, which supports us through our 2015 sales projections.  Deconstruction is nearly complete on the Asheville site. Current estimates are for about an 8-month adjustment to the construction timeline.  Once underway, the construction phase will take place over 22 months, as projected in the original scope.  We are reviewing the timeline adjustment with our City and construction partners in June and a full timeline will be available in July 2013.  

  
  

• HIRING: When will you start hiring and how many people will you hire?

  New Belgium will be hiring about 50 jobs in the first year.  We'll start in 2014 and continue as we ramp up in 2015.  We will put the jobs out through the community channels we are developing with neighborhood and business associations and our website.  We'll likely hire about 20 additional people each year, up to about 150 jobs at build out.  We'll be working with AB-Tech to develop training programs for some of these positions.

  We are talking with Green Opportunities, a non-profit in our neighborhood that provides green collar job training and placement, about hiring their trainees for some of the demolition and reclamation of the stockyard site during fall 2012.  We are also recommending Green Opportunities to our contractors and subs for hiring for the building process. 

• SPONSORSHIP: How does a non-profit apply for a grant or request sponsorship?

  We have an Environmental Stewardship Grants Program to serve and connect with the communities where we sell our beer.  Our goal is to improve the health of the planet and inspire others to joyously embrace sustainable choices.  We give away $1 for every barrel of beer we produce, which means in 2012, we will donate over $700,000 to programs in 29 states.  Building the Asheville brewery will allow us to support more projects in the future, so thank you for bearing with us through this building process to make that happen! 

  To apply for a grant, take a look at our guidelines and submit an application.  Here is a list of organizations we supported in 2011 to give you an idea of the types of projects and non-profits we support.  Event sponsorship and product donation guidelines and submittals are found here.

• CITY REVIEW PROCESS: Past City meetings

  We support living and working in active, involved communities like Asheville.  There is a City review process for developments like our brewery in the City of Asheville.  We asked the city for clarity on each of these meetings and processes, as relevant to the neighbors and community, and would like to share them with you here.  You can see where you can provide input, express concerns, voice support, and get involved in this process.

  NEW BELGIUM BREWING’S (NBB) DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT 

  CRAVEN ST. FACILITY, LEVEL III PROJECT REVIEW

  CURRENT PUBLIC MEETING SCHEDULE & PROJECT PROCESS DESCRIPTION

   (Schedule is subject to change)

  
  TECHNICAL REVIEW COMMITTEE (TRC) 
  Monday, November 19, 2012 @ 2:00 p.m.
  Any citizen with a technical concern or comment should supply these in writing to the Technical Review Manager atnpennington@ashevillenc.gov  or attend the Planning & Zoning Commission meeting where public comment can be received.
  Site development plans and project contact information can be viewed online via the City of Asheville Development Mapper program at the following web address:
  http://www.ashevillenc.gov/Departments/ITServices/OnlineServices/mapAsheville.aspx
  

  Additional information can also be obtained by contacting the City of Asheville Planning and Development Department at (828) 259-5831.

  
  

  RIVER DISTRICT DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE (RDDRC)

  Wednesday November 28, 2012 @ 9:00 a.m.
  

  Board Room, Asheville Savings Bank, 11 Church Street in downtown Asheville

  Following the initial Technical Review, the next step in the review process is for the project team to meet with the advisory board appointed by City Council to promote higher quality design for projects in the riverfront. The RDDRC members use The River District Design Guidelines to evaluate and comment upon the project’s alignment with community design goals that support continuing economic development and increased vitality of the area and RDDRC comments and recommendations are noted with staff and relayed to the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council.

  For more information regarding the agenda or project information, please contact Nathan Pennington at 259-5848 or e-mail npennington@ashevillenc.gov

  
  

  PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION (P&Z)

  Wednesday, January 2, 2013 @ 5:00 pm
  Meeting Location: City Hall - 70 Court Plaza, First Floor North Conference Room
  More information and the current meeting agenda can be found at:
  http://www.ashevillenc.gov/Departments/CityClerk/BoardsCommissions/PlanningZoningCommission.aspx
  After completing design review the NBB project team will present to the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z),which is an advisory board to City Council.  P&Z reviews a variety of land use related matters including the site plans for the Level III project. In addition to reviewing a project for its ability to comply with basic technical requirements, the P&Z will also remark on the project’s alignment with the City’s comprehensive plans and other plans and policies, as applicable.
  

  
  

  ASHEVILLE CITY COUNCIL 

  Project approved 6-0

  Tuesday, January 22, 2012 @ 5:00 p.m.
  Meeting Location:  City Hall – 70 Court Plaza, Second Floor Council Chambers
  More information and the current agenda can be found at:
  

  http://www.ashevillenc.gov/CityCouncil.aspx 

  Final consideration for approval of the Level III NBB project is performed by Asheville City Council.  City Council will receive a presentation by staff that will summarize the overall project and review process.  This presentation is accompanied by a detailed staff report that outlines the background and context for the project as well as the staff’s professional recommendation.   The staff report and presentation will also relay comments and recommendations gathered from the other public bodies.  NBB’s project team will also have the opportunity to provide a presentation highlighting the project’s design elements and the team’s response to site constraints and assets. 

  This review step is a public hearing. Meetings are televised live on the Asheville Channel, Charter Cable channel 11, and rebroadcast on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 9 a.m
   
  TECHNICAL REVIEW COMMITTEE (TRC) – Final Review
  February 4, 2013 (tentative) @ 2:00 p.m.
  Meeting Location: 161 S. Charlotte St. (Public Works Building), Room A-109
  Once approved by City Council, the final step in the plan review process is to revise and complete the site plans and construction details and resubmit to the TRC for a final and detailed review.  Once the site plan set is complete and approved, the project will obtain their zoning permit which will allow them to pursue separate grading/stormwater permits and building permits.  These separate permits may not be released until final zoning approval is obtained; however, the review of these plans may occur simultaneously so that permits may be ready to issue once final TRC is complete.  
  

  
  

• SITE: What are you doing with all of the existing buildings on the site?

  Bradley Barrett of  Old World Architectural & Salvage Co. created a thorough inventory of all reusable materials on the site.  Our design team and architects are figuring out what we're going to reuse in our buildings--certainly some of the steel trusses, metal siding, and old wood.  The remaining materials that are worth salvaging we're going to offer to the community. Read more about what Bradley's up to.

• TEAM: Who's on your project team (so far)?

  Architect:  Perkins + Will (Charlotte, NC)

  Environmental Consultant: Hart & Hickman (Charlotte, NC)

  Landscape Architect: Cole Jenest & Stone (Charlotte, NC), Russell + Mills Studios (Fort Collins, CO)

  Civil Engineering: Cole Jenest & Stone (Charlotte, NC), Mattern & Craig (Asheville, NC)

  Geotechnical: ECS Limited (Asheville, NC)

  Surveying: Ed Holmes & Associations (Asheville, NC)

  Material Reuse Survey: Old World Architectural Salvage (Asheville, NC)

  WNC Communications Liaison: Pollinate Collaborations (Asheville, NC)

   

   

• SUSTAINABILITY: What types of sustainable practices are incorporated into your site in Asheville?

  While final decisions have yet to be made, here are some of the things we're researching.  Remember, we're likely not going to be able to accomplish them all at first.

  • Stormwater BMPs: Bio-swales that convey stormwater and filter and treat runoff.  The use of porous concrete/pavers for the parking lots. The use of bio-retention for the visitor parking lot and brewhouse/malt building.
  • Repurposing materials from the site 
  • Daylighting in producion and non-production spaces
  • LEED certification for producion and non-production spaces
  • Robust building managment software
  • Covered bike parking
  • Avoiding light pollution
  • Requiring our contractors to certify through Clean Air Carolina
  • An anaerobic process water treatment plant to pre-treat wastewater and produce methane to use on site in place of either utility provided electricity or natural gas.
  • Geothermal cooling
  • Graywater harvesting & reuse
  • Waste heat recovery (which we always do in the process) to heat offices or provide snow melt
  • Solar hot water
  • Solar PV
  • Green roof
  • Rainwater harvesting and reuse on site
  • River access
  • LED site lighting

• What is a 'brownfield' and why did you choose to build your brewery on one?

  Throughout New Belgium's East Coast site search process, we focused on brownfield sites--previously developed areas in need of clean up.  Why?  To prevent taking agricultural land out of production or eliminating natural habitat, to lovingly bring what was once a source of jobs and industry back into productive use, and to find a location near other amenities, increasing density and walkability.

  We are working with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DNER) to determine what mitigation we need to do at the site in order to make it safe for our intended use.

• What will you do with your spent grains from the brewing process?

  In Asheville, we are planning on selling our spent grain, at market rate, to local farmers to be used as animal feed. So far, we have had conversations with several small and mid-sized farmers, the Buncombe County Agricultural Advisory Board, the Center for Environmental Farming Systems and the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. From these conversations, we are currently researching the following three options for spent grain disposal in Asheville.

  The first option is to sell our grain via a distribution network. This would allow us to dispense our grain out to the multitude of small livestock farms in and around the Asheville area. Ideally this would be done through a partnership with a local University or organization that would act as a distribution center. The second option is selling our grain to one or two of the “larger” farms in the Asheville area. Our last option is a potential hybrid of the first two options. We are also keeping in mind that there will be an influx of spent grain producers in the North Carolina area, so additional collaborations with both grain producers and consumers are a possibility.

• Will air pollution be emitted from the brewery?

  Our Asheville brewery will be defined by the local air quality agency as a small source of air pollution. When air quality is assessed, EPA sets standards for criteria pollutants called National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Criteria pollutants include Carbon Monoxide, Lead, Nitrogen Dioxide, Ozone, Particulates and Sulfur Dioxide. The vast majority of North Carolina is in attainment for these standards, including Buncombe County.

  
  

  The main criteria pollutant of concern for New Belgium Brewing Company is ground level ozone. Ground level ozone is created as a result of chemical reactions between oxides of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). The main air pollutant from NBB is VOCs from brewing and packaging equipment as well as ancillary equipment. Obtaining an operating permit helps to ensure that emissions from NBB will not affect the overall air quality of Buncombe County in relation to criteria pollutant attainment levels.

  
  

  Total emissions of criteria pollutants are estimated to be in the single digits or the low teens in tons/year. For a rough comparison, our air emissions are roughly 0.0005% of the emissions of a power plant. We will be doing all we can to use the latest pollution control devices and install systems and equipment to ensure the lowest emissions possible.

  
  

  Once we obtain an operating permit for our production operations, all of our potential air emissions will be public data. The public can follow our permit application through the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) permit tracking system. You can find this tracking system here: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/deao/permit-tracker

  Once we receive a draft permit through NCDENR’s Division of Air Quality, there is a 30-day public comment period and a 45-day EPA approval period. During this time, the public will have access to review the permit, and have a better understanding of the potential air emissions from our operations. You can find this list here: http://daq.state.nc.us/cgi-bin/perm_draftrev.cgi

  If you need more information about air quality in Buncombe County, you can contact the local air quality office in Asheville (http://www.wncairquality.org/), or the Division of Air Quality’s News and Public Outreach site (http://daq.state.nc.us/news/).

• BREWERY ODORS: Will there be smells coming from the brewery?

  Yes, there will be a smell when we mash in.  It smells like grain cooking (it is grains cooking).  So yes, we are sure there will be an odor from the brewery regardless of the terrain and natural weather patterns near our brewery site.

  
  

  We received some neighbor complaints about smell in Fort Collins during a time when we were running some tests on the biodigesters in our process water treatment facility. We had to let it run high to effectively run the test. Once the test was complete, the smell went away.  Otherwise, we get little to no feedback regarding odors at the brewery.  Unlike Fort Collins, in Asheville, there will be no open air biodigesters on site, so there will not be any smell from that process.

  
  

   What are biodigesters? 

• WORKING AT NEW BELGIUM: Is working at New Belgium as great as everyone says it is?

  I think so, but then, I've been here for 20 years and maybe I'm biased!  You tell me....

• HOURS: What hours will you be in production?

  For the first two years, we'll likely only be in production 12 hours a day, ramping up to 24 by 2019.  However, we will always make a commitment to not do noisy outside things after normal business hours (and in accordance with local regulations!).

• What hours will your tasting room be open?

  We will likely close significantly earlier than the bars in Asheville. We want beer lovers to experience our beer and our unique work environment, and at the same time, not take away from the vibrant Asheville bar, brewery and restaurant environment.  Our Fort Collins Liquid Center is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m, Tuesday through Saturday.

• ON TAP: Will you have beers from other breweries on tap at your Asheville Liquid Center?

  We like the idea of this.  It's not something we do in Fort Collins, but would be worth considering to help spread the word about the great variety of Asheville beers.  Right now, we have 19 of our beers available in the Liquid Center in Fort Collins (our tasting room).