City begins cleanup at defunct Mountaineer Inn

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) -- Contracted crews were at the defunct Mountaineer Inn on Monday, March 23, working to clean up the distressed property after it sat vacant for years. MOUNTAINEER INN PROPERTY LISTED FOR SALE BY SOUTH CAROLINA FIRM News 13 crews saw a yellow city of Asheville truck parked outside the former Tunnel Road motel around 10:45 a.m. and observed workers looking at the property's in-ground pool. Photos from the Public Works and Sanitation Division's on-site inspection report showed the motel's pool filled with dirty water and garbage. Other photos from the report showed motel rooms filled with garbage, including syringes, and evidence of people living on the property despite its closure. City of Asheville spokesperson Kim Miller said WNC Landscaper was contracted for the cleanup. Miller said crews would drain the pool Monday and clear garbage across the property, with plans to mow overgrown grass Tuesday. SECURITY COMPANY OWNER CONCERNED ABOUT MOUNTAINEER INN HAZARDS Activity at the property comes weeks after a Buncombe County judge approved the cleanup work, issuing a court injunction requiring the motel's owners to clean up the site or allowing the city to do so and attempt to recoup costs. As previously reported, the motel is listed for sale for an undisclosed price by Marcus & Millichap Davis DeWese Messinger DDM Hotels, a South Carolina-based hotel brokerage firm. News 13 reached out to the listing agent, Chase DeWese, to learn more about who retained him to list the property. The company has yet to respond to that inquiry. On Monday, News 13 spoke with a man seen walking the grounds and taking photos. He said he was a representative for prospective buyers, however, he told News 13 it would be "a stretch" to buy the property. LOGE Camps bought the Mountaineer Inn in 2023 for more than $6 million, with plans to renovate it and give it new life. An Asheville developer told News 13 at the time the sale price seemed inflated for the property. However, over the years, little to no work was done on the property, and multiple reports of unpaid property taxes totaling tens of thousands of dollars appeared in news headlines. Radify Asheville, a limited liability company created as the ownership instrument for the Mountaineer Inn, has nearly $30,000 in unpaid property taxes in Buncombe County. JUDGE ORDERS MOUNTAINEER INN OWNERS CLEAN UP PROPERTIES, OWNER OWES NEARLY $30K IN TAXES Buncombe County says it has hired outside counsel to try to get the ownership group to pay outstanding property taxes. If the group does not, the next steps would be court filings to move toward a tax lien foreclosure. A spokesperson for Buncombe County told News 13 the process can typically take more than a year.