ASHEVILLE (January 26, 2022) — Hatteras Sky, a commercial real estate development firm, has broken ground on its adaptive re-use of a vacant warehouse at 95 Roberts Street in the River Arts District (RAD). The project, an independently branded hotel called The Radical, “will provide a new access point to the RAD for people traveling to Asheville while giving RAD residents new amenities and creative outlets,” said Amy Kelly, founding partner and principal at Hatteras Sky. “The program we have created with the help of local partners focuses on the RAD’s rich history and vibrant arts and culinary culture while energizing an underutilized section of Roberts Street.”
The Radical, which is expected to open its doors in 2023, will include 70 guest rooms with modern, retro-luxury inspired interiors and an arts-focused architectural program. It will also feature a curated three-meal restaurant, coffee lounge and cocktail bar, rooftop bar and event space with unmatched views of the French Broad River, as well as large outdoor courtyards with multiple dining terraces and a spacious lawn for additional events and programming. Jacob Sessoms, James Beard-nominated local chef and Hatteras Sky’s Director of Food and Beverage will oversee the food and beverage concepts. These restaurants will host hotel guests and the hotel’s neighbors in the RAD and the greater Asheville area: “The restaurants will be extensions of what I have done in Asheville over the last twenty years at Table, All Day Darling, and the rest. With the artist studios, restaurants, and now other amenities coming online in the RAD, the RAD neighborhood has real gravitational pull, and I’m excited to be part of it,” said Sessoms.
Interiors have been designed by the award-winning Suomi Design Works team, whose portfolio of projects include the Eliza Jane in New Orleans, the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport, and the Press Hotel in Portland, Maine, among others. The interior design will prominently incorporate the work of local artists, as well as numerous large-scale art installations and pop art, while retaining much of the original aesthetic and historic aspects of the building. Asheville’s Beverly-Grant and Rowhouse Architects are the general contractor and architect, respectively.
Nationally recognized boutique hotel operator Lark Hotels will oversee the day-to-day hotel management and operations. “Hatteras Sky engaged Lark because it was important to them that The Radical delivers a boutique experience, which we have been doing successfully since before ‘boutique hotels’ were a thing. We got our start as innkeepers in small destinations, and although we have grown in the years since, we will bring that curated and intimate approach to The Radical,” said Rob Blood, founder of Lark.
Because of the historic significance of the building and Hatteras Sky’s commitment to restoring the interior, the development will benefit from generating historic tax credits. Eric Brubaker, Director of Acquisitions for Foss & Company, the tax credit investor, expressed Foss’s enthusiasm for the project: “The warehouse at 95 Roberts Street is one of the most recognizable and iconic historic buildings in the RAD. We are proud to be involved in the preservation of this irreplaceable structure and contribute to the reactivation of this part of the RAD neighborhood.” United Bank, based in the Southeast, is providing the construction financing.
The Radical is Hatteras Sky’s second adaptive re-use boutique hotel development to break ground in Asheville. The development firm broke ground on Zelda Dearest, the first in its portfolio as Asheville’s Official Hotelier of The Fitzgerald Estate, earlier this month.
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ABOUT HATTERAS SKY
Hatteras Sky is a commercial real estate firm focused on multifamily and hospitality development in high-growth American markets. In addition to ground-up new construction developments, we renovate, restore, and reactivate our historic buildings. We pride ourselves on our ability to identify unique opportunities that deliver long-term value to our team, our investors, and the communities we serve. While maintaining an entrepreneurial approach, we strive to adhere to the highest standards of integrity, quality, and partnership. We aim to create structures and communities that will be useful, beautiful, and strong for generations. For more information about the firm, its team, and additional projects, please visit the Hatteras Sky website.
ABOUT LARK HOTELS
Lark Hotels is a premium hotel development and management company with a portfolio of 30+ branded boutique hotels on the East Coast and California. Launched in 2012, Lark Hotels operates boutique properties in high-profile destinations and celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2022. Lark properties embrace the locations they are in but in playful, unexpected ways. Each Lark Hotel invites guests to experience intimate getaways in the heart of an iconic destination, feel the pull of nostalgia and find attentive service when they want it and privacy when they don’t. In 2020, Lark Hotels launched a third party management division focused on the management and marketing of independent hotels throughout the United States. In 2021, Lark Hotels introduced Bluebird by Lark, a sister collection of boutique roadside lodges—reimagined for the great American road trip. For more information on Lark Hotels, visit larkhotels.com.
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Exterior rendering of The Radical hotel as seen from Paynes Way.
The Radical project team at groundbreaking. Photo by Asheville A.V. Club.