News

Owner has plans to renovate historic Osceola Inn

The city planning board endorsed plans for renovation of the historic Osceola Inn near Lake Osceola. [CITY OF HENDERSONVILLE PHOTO]

By Lightning Reports, Published: April 12, 2024

The Hendersonville Planning Board on Thursday endorsed a plan by the owner of the historic Osceola Inn to bring the architecturally significant asset back to life.

In her rezoning request, owner Fiona McColley seeks the city’s OK to renovate the property that would include a 20-room hotel with conference and event space plus a café open to the public. McColley also wants to renovate 26 units for multi-family long-term use as apartments or condos.

The planning board voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council authorize the adaptive re-use rezoning.

No new buildings are proposed to be constructed on the 3.75-acre site.  McColley plans to expand parking from 42 to 67 spaces, remove existing Bradford pears and add landscaping.

The 1909 inn has operated on and off over the past 25 years in various uses, most recently as Heartwood Refuge, which as a religious use was exempt from property taxes.

“The structure is in great need of repair,” a city staff analysis said. “Certain sections are in extreme disrepair. Attempts to sell the property have been unsuccessful. Reinvestment is needed to preserve the structure.”

During a neighborhood compatibility meeting last August, the reaction from homeowners was “overall, really positive,” city planner Michael Manley told planning board members. “They just had some questions about the operations. With this plan they have a very long-term investment.”

McColley was unavailable to answer questions about whether the 26 residential units would be rented as apartments or sold as condos.

“She indicated some interest in them being available for sale,” Manley said. “She also indicated she didn’t want them to be short-term rentals.”

“Preservation of the Osceola Inn would help to maintain a cultural asset for the community,” the staff report said. “Additional small-scale units would provide needed housing. The hotel, and its associated event space and café, would also serve as an appropriately-scaled driver of economic development” in the area.