WOODFIN, N.C. (WLOS) — Eighty-three acres of riverfront land beside Richmond Hill Park in Woodfin will be conserved rather than developed.

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) announced it purchased the land overlooking the French Broad River, ending a years-long legal battle over a permit for intensive real estate development on the property.

The land could eventually be added to Richmond Hill Park, increasing its size from 180 to 263 acres.

“This is a great outcome for this prominent forested bluff above a big bend in the French Broad River, especially in light of the shared desire among locals to support the river’s recovery from Hurricane Helene,” Carl Silverstein, SAHC’s executive director, said in a news release.

SAHC said the property had been on the nonprofit’s wishlist for 20 years and is one of the last undeveloped parcels along the French Broad River in Asheville.

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SAHC said it sought to buy the property several times since 2013, but the owner held out for a higher price from developers. In 2020, developers contracted to buy the property and filed a development plan known as The Bluffs that prompted opposition and litigation by multiple parties. The property was transferred to another development group in 2022, which proposed 692 units, a plan SAHC felt was too intensive for the property.

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SAHC said community members, along with officials from the town of Woodfin, continued opposing the permit until the developer became willing to end the conflict by selling the property for conservation.

“We’re proud that SAHC could provide a solution supporting the community while meeting the developer’s financial need,” Silverstein said in a written statement.

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SAHC said the property has important ecological features, including a vernal pool at the lower elevation of the property edge and designation within the French Broad Priority Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Area. Wetland areas in the vicinity host a variety of salamanders, including spotted and marbled salamanders as well as the Southern Zigzag Salamander (Plethodon ventralis), which is a state species of special concern.

The nonprofit said neighbors and other private donors contributed funds and made a loan to SAHC to make the purchase possible.

SAHC will hold the property until it is added to Richmond Hill Park. For now, the tract is not open to the public.