From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The Asheville Police Department — pending lease approval this month by Asheville City Council — will be expanding to the Tanger Outlets (formerly Asheville Outlets) on Brevard Road in West Asheville.

The expansion will include a new office and resource center. However, the APD has noted that is not just relocating, but adding services in the popular shopping destination “to better serve the community, as revealed in late 2025,” according to AI Overview.

What’s more, the move to Tanger Outlets does not constitute a full relocation from the APD’s current West Asheville building (at 970 Haywood Road), where the APD noted that it will continue to maintain a limited police presence. 

“The move builds on Tanger’s acquisition and rebranding of the mall in late 2023/early 2024, bringing more community-centric features — and now APD is joining to boost community presence and access,” AI Overview noted.

As for the purpose of the move, “It’s framed as an expansion of services, not just a move, aiming to increase police presence and community engagement at the busy mall.”

Regarding Tanger’s role, “Tanger acquired the mall in late 2023 and rebranded it, promising enhanced community programming and better operations, including security, which aligns with APD’s presence,” AI Overview stated.

“This initiative aims to make the police more accessible in a high-traffic area, complementing Tanger’s broader strategy for the center.

“The new APD facility, which has been renovated by Tanger Outlets, will be more than double the size of the current 1,800 square feet facility.

Besides serving as an office and resource center, the new APD facility will offer “greater security and capacity for officers.”

As for cost and approval, “the city already has executed an agreement and paid a security deposit, but the City Council still needs to formally ratify the lease due to a policy threshold for leases exceeding a certain amount. The initial rent will be $6,000 per month. 

“This is distinct from the Asheville Regional Airport’s (AVL) separate, large-scale terminal expansion project, which is also currently underway,” AI Overview stated.