UNC Asheville Millennial Campus
At UNC Asheville, we encourage prospective and current students not to ask “What if?” Instead, we encourage them to ask “What’s next?” We are asking the same question in regards to our Millennial Campus properties, which have the potential to strengthen the student experience inside and outside the classroom and enhance the economic development of the City of Asheville, Buncombe County, and Western North Carolina.
In April 2021, the UNC System Board of Governors approved UNC Asheville’s request to designate several parcels of University property as a Millennial Campus. These properties are key assets that can be leveraged to advance the evolution of the University and diversify the region’s economy.
With 85% of our students from North Carolina, and almost half of them from Western North Carolina, UNC Asheville is an economic driver. Over 70% of our alumni currently reside and work in the state. UNC Asheville also recently created Access Asheville, a new financial aid program designed to make an exceptional, transformative education attainable for low- and middle-income families.
Other UNC System institutions have achieved great success in developing their Millennial Campus properties since the designation was established. UNC Asheville is looking to the successes of our sister institutions as inspiration for how we will move forward.
The Millennial Campus Designation
Established by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2000, the Millennial Campus designation provides UNC System institutions with the ability to strengthen the student experience inside and outside the classroom and enhance the economic development of the regions we serve.
That designation, as outlined in The Centennial Campus, the Horace Williams Campus, and the Millennial Campuses Financing Act “shall be based on an express finding by the Board of Governors that the institution desiring to create a ‘Millennial Campus’ has the administrative and fiscal capability to create and maintain such a campus and provided further, that the Board of Governors has found that the creation of the constituent institution’s or affiliated institution’s ‘Millennial Campus’ will enhance the institution’s research, teaching, and service missions as well as enhance the economic development of the region served by the institution.”
Millennial Campus Development Commission
In summer of 2025, UNC Asheville announced the formation of a Millennial Campus Development Commission that is tasked with creating a process to evaluate potential projects for its Millennial Campus properties.
The University is partnering with HR&A Advisors to provide facilitation, support, and guidance for the formation and administration of the Commission. HR&A is an industry leader in providing comprehensive real estate strategies to a variety of organizations, including prior work with other UNC System institutions.
The work of this Commission will be vital to ensuring that potential development projects for the University’s Millennial Campus properties align with UNC Asheville’s long-term strategic priorities, strengthen its recruitment and retention efforts, and benefit the communities it serves.
HR&A’s work will take place in two phases. The first phase, started in late October 2025, will focus on engaging with University leadership and prospective Commission and community members to develop recommendations on the Commission’s composition, its charge and responsibilities, and a framework for Commission meetings. The first phase is expected to be completed by the first week of December.
The second phase will include facilitation and administration of the Commission in its meetings, supporting analysis, and broader engagement of community stakeholders to complete its work and deliver an actionable set of findings and recommendations. The second phase will take approximately 3 to 5 months to complete.
While HR&A will facilitate this process, the University will make determinations regarding the Commission’s membership, stakeholder engagement, and ultimately, pursuing development of its Millennial Campus properties.
The University’s partnership with HR&A is funded through revenue generated by UNC Asheville’s Millennial Campus properties and other trust funds.
While the focus of the Commission’s work will be on the Millennial Campus properties known as the South Campus and the Broadway Property, it will also consider potential benefits of all of the properties with this designation.
UNC Asheville’s Millennial Campus Properties
South Campus and Broadway Property
In August 2025, UNC Asheville announced a pause in its negotiations for development of its South Campus and Broadway Property.
The proposed development to construct a multi-use stadium, along with housing, retail, and related amenities on UNC Asheville’s South Campus has a projected return to the University that will exceed $46 million over 30 years. Though this is the most refined Millennial Campus proposal to date, UNC Asheville must continue vetting this proposal and, at the same time, secure broader stakeholder input. Pausing the negotiations will ensure that this project — and all future Millennial Campus developments — fully aligns with UNC Asheville’s long-term strategic priorities, strengthens its recruitment and retention efforts, and provides significant benefits, including increased non-tuition revenue, enhanced facilities, new student housing options, and community amenities.
Asheville Botanical Garden
Established in 1960, the Asheville Botanical Garden showcases native plants of the Southern Appalachian region and serves as a living classroom and urban destination for students, educators, and the broader public. UNC Asheville and the Asheville Botanical Garden are currently engaged in positive and productive conversations to extend the existing lease and deepen the collaborative relationship between our institutions. Both parties are committed to ensuring that the Botanical Garden remains protected, thriving, and open to the community for generations to come.
Chestnut Ridge
This property is located next to Lookout Observatory.
Kellogg Center
The Kellogg Center, a UNC Asheville property located at 1181 Broyles Road in Hendersonville, N.C., includes two buildings suitable for classes and conferences and 46.3 acres of beautiful land including forest and field trails, complemented by natural and man-made art.
In summer 2021, UNC Asheville entered into a use agreement for the Kellogg Center with Wild Oak Independent School, which enrolls PreK3 through 6th grades. Prior to that, the facilities were used by the YMCA of Western North Carolina, which hosted an after-school child care program at the facility starting in August 2018.
The Kellogg Center was originally the summer residence of Kathryn A. Kellogg, who bequeathed the property to Wake Forest University in 1969. When it didn’t have a university-use for the property, the Kellogg Center was transferred to the UNC System, with N.C. State University and the 4-H Club using it for a time. In 1987, it became property to UNC Asheville, which later developed it in 1995 as an educational and community conference center.
Riverside Drive Properties
Prior to sustaining extensive damage during Helene, the property at 838 Riverside Drive formerly served as the women’s golf team practice facility and housed the University’s Transportation & Parking Services department.
The University’s warehouse, located at 1414 Riverside Drive, is used for storage of surplus furniture, equipment, and other items.
Athletic Complex
The Athletic Complex includes Greenwood Baseball Field, Greenwood Soccer Field, Karl Straus Track, and the Sam Millar Facilities Complex.
Parking Lot P8
Parking Lot P8 is one of the University’s non-resident student parking lots.
