The asphalt oval at Carrier Park started out as the New Asheville Motor Speedway. The environmental nonprofit RiverLink bought it in 1998 to turn it into a park. In 1999 the land was leased to Carolina Motorsports for $200,000 so fans could have one last season of racing. When the first phase of the park was dedicated in 2003, the old track stayed on as a velodrome for biking and skating. The playground, roller hockey rink, volleyball and basketball courts were built inside the loop.
The City of Asheville has now decided not to keep that layout. The French Broad Riverfront recovery plan, released in June 2026, swaps the 1961 track for a smaller, standard-size velodrome. Its center becomes natural green space designed to hold floodwater. The play areas that used to sit inside the oval move outside it. If you walk the West Asheville riverfront this fall, that decision explains the half-open park you'll see. A second, unrelated construction project explains most of the rest.
The track was the problem the City kept hearing about
The City's project FAQ explains the decision plainly. The City says it heard "passionate feedback from frequent users of the iconic velodrome" in workshops, focus groups and surveys. It also says many community members "questioned the long-term value and usability of a full restoration of an auto track that was built in 1961." The FAQ also lists the complaints that came from the oval's layout:
"Other park users shared frustrations about difficulties accessing features inside the track such as the skate rink, playground, basketball courts, sand volleyball courts, and ongoing conflicts with park users walking across the track."
The City writes that a smaller footprint would free up space for more recreation, and that the water-holding center would reduce flooding elsewhere in the park. It says simply refurbishing "the aging structure that was impacted by floodwaters and debris" couldn't do either of those things.
The plan keeps most of what the west side had before. According to the concept overview plan, the Carrier Park and Amboy area still gets a lawn bowling green, a hockey rink, sand volleyball courts and a multipurpose field. It also adds a destination playground, a nature playground, a toddler playground and basketball and pickleball courts. What changes is where everything goes. The track's center becomes green space, so these features no longer sit in an interior you reach by crossing a bike track.
The hockey rink shows how long that interior arrangement lasted. In December 2024, Mountain Xpress reported that the Raleigh-based Carolina Hurricanes Foundation had given the Asheville Hockey League $50,000 to help rebuild its rink. The rink had opened about two decades earlier inside the velodrome track. The same report described leagues looking for temporary homes, including hockey games in Greenville, South Carolina. That reporting is almost two years old, and we didn't find a 2026 update on where those groups play now.
What you can use this fall, and whose fence you're looking at
The riverfront this October is easier to read once you know two different agencies are working on it. The City of Asheville is running the Helene park recovery. The Metropolitan Sewerage District is replacing the Carrier Bridge Pump Station and rehabilitating the French Broad Interceptor, the main sewer line that runs under the riverbank, and expects to finish in 2029.
| Spot | Status this fall | Whose work is in play |
|---|---|---|
| Carrier Park east side, 220 Amboy Road | Open: picnic shelter, wetlands education area, rolling lawn, parking | City recovery |
| Carrier Park west side | Closed: lawn bowling, playground, skating rink, basketball, sand volleyball, sports field | City recovery |
| Greenway through Carrier Park | Open | Reopened by MSD in July 2026 |
| Amboy Riverfront Park, 180 Amboy Road | Listed with 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. hours | City |
| French Broad River Park, 508 Riverview Drive | Closed | City recovery and MSD blasting |
| Hominy Creek River Park, 220 Hominy Creek Road | Open, peninsula closed | Buncombe County |
The City last updated its Carrier Park listing in August 2026 and its French Broad River Park listing on October 5, 2026. The County's Hominy Creek page simply says, "Peninsula section is closed due to the impact of Tropical Storm Helene." That fits a May 2025 County briefing, which listed the park as "Partially Open – Peninsula Closed" until river access and remediation are in place.
The greenway is mostly continuous again
Before the storm, the French Broad River Greenway was a four-mile paved path that ran from Hominy Creek River Park to a public lot at Craven Street and Emma Road near New Belgium Brewing. The City's greenway page says it is open from Hominy Creek to Amboy Riverfront Park and from Craven Street to French Broad River Park. The section through French Broad River Park itself is closed. That page was last updated in November 2025. MSD's July 6, 2026 update says the greenways along Amboy Road and at the west end of Carrier Park have been "restored and reopened to the public."
In practice, Hominy Creek through Carrier Park to Amboy Riverfront Park is the long stretch you can walk without interruption right now. The Craven Street end is open as well. The gap is French Broad River Park.
French Broad River Park is where both projects meet
French Broad River Park is the one place where both agencies have crews working. In its September 25, 2026 update, MSD said the pump station excavation is finished and crews have started pouring the concrete floors and walls. Some large pours will start before sunrise, which MSD says avoids traffic delays and keeps the concrete from drying too fast and cracking. MSD also said "blasting in French Broad River Park will continue for several months" while crews dig pipe trenches and keep tunneling.
The City has demolition planned for the same area. Two demolition applications went into processing on October 1, 2026. One covers the 1,708-square-foot concession and restroom building at Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Road. The other covers the 1,276-square-foot restroom building at French Broad River Park, 508 Riverview Drive. Both records show "Plan Check," which means they haven't been approved yet. On its project page, the City says it expects early demolition of storm-damaged facilities to start this fall. We couldn't confirm that any building has come down as of mid-October.
Across the river, a new closure
If your loop crosses the Craven Street or Amboy Road bridge to reach the Wilma Dykeman Greenway, there's one more change. MSD says the greenway along Lyman Street will close "for several months beginning in October 2026" so crews can work on the 54-inch interceptor pipe beneath it and stage pumps and piping above ground. MSD hasn't published a detour route and asks people to follow the posted signs. That stretch had only reopened in July.
Two schedules, two finish lines
Knowing that two projects are running side by side explains a lot about the next few years on this part of the river. MSD gives 2029 as its end date. The City says design will continue into early 2027, with construction expected between 2027 and 2030 and some phases possibly starting sooner where feasible. In its June announcement, the City said construction would be phased so it could "maximize" public access and keep "as many amenities as possible" open during the work.
The project covers about five miles on both sides of the river. It runs from the western city limits downstream of Hominy Creek to just below the Jeff Bowen Bridge on I-240, and Helene's flooding put more than 200 acres of parks and greenway completely underwater. The City released three design concepts in February 2026, after a first round of input in late 2025. It then combined them into the single concept after hearing from thousands of residents.
The comment window is still open. The City said in June that it would hold more input sessions in September. Its project page now describes "fall 2026" sessions meant to fine-tune specific elements without "altering the broader programming layout." That means the general layout, smaller velodrome included, is largely decided, while details like features and finishes can still change. We didn't find a City-confirmed schedule for the remaining sessions. You can see the overview plan, slideshow and video on the French Broad Riverfront Parks Recovery page and leave comments there. The City said it would post informational banners along the greenway and make printed take-home copies available at Asheville Parks & Recreation community centers.
A fall route that works right now
The open sections still add up to a full outing. You can park at Hominy Creek River Park and head downstream on the greenway to the open east side of Carrier Park. That side has the picnic shelter, the wetlands education area and the rolling lawn. The City's park history notes that this area came with the second phase of the park, dedicated in 2006, along with a river overlook. From there you can keep going to Amboy Riverfront Park at 180 Amboy Road, which is listed as open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
To get to the Craven Street end, drive or take the open side streets. That's where New Belgium Brewing sits at 21 Craven Street, and the brewery lists an event there on Friday, October 16, 2026. According to the Asheville Citizen-Times, its taproom and Liquid Center reopened on December 16, 2024, after the storm closure. Check the brewery's posted hours before you go.
The park took its name after almost a year of work by Asheville Parks & Recreation, RiverLink, West Asheville neighborhoods and park user groups. It honors the Carrier family, who were central to West Asheville's development. The City credits the park's unusual amenities, the old track among them, with making it the home base of the Mountain Sports Festival for many years. The new plan keeps a velodrome and moves the rest of the park out from inside the loop.
At Carter Sowers, we follow the riverfront rebuild closely, because our office sits on Haywood Road and this stretch of river is part of our neighborhood too. If you live near the greenway and want to know how a park rebuild running through 2030 fits into what your home is worth, ask us for a free home valuation. We'll walk through the project timeline with you.
