The scope of this study included the investigation of alternate sites for the Asheville Area Center for the Performing Arts (Performance Center) in three primary areas of the city – downtown Asheville, the River Arts District, and on the campus of Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College. Among many considerations, the primary characteristics informing the suitability of the specific sites were: potential funding partnerships, availability of the site, ownership of the property, lot size and topography, adequate parking, access, and the adjacent context.
To identify these characteristics, ARCA developed a diagrammatic site map that lists relevant positive and negative attributes of each site, along with a diagrammatic site plan showing how the Performance Center might fit at each of the locations. To investigate the more detailed requirements for the Performance Center building, ARCA also developed conceptual plans and renderings of the proposed multi-use theater using one of the downtown sites (Asheland/Coxe Avenue Site) as the basis for the preliminary design.