Beloved Hendersonville German restaurant faces demolition for NCDOT project

By Justin Berger

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    HENDERSONVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — A restaurant owner in Hendersonville is on the verge of losing the building his customers have eaten in for decades.

Helge Gresser purchased Haus Heidelberg in 1994. For him, the authentic German restaurant is a labor of love.

But he said in a matter of months, that will all change.

“I should have been more worried when I wasn’t,” Gresser said.

Gresser said he’s known about the multiple North Carolina Department of Transportation modernization projects in south Hendersonville for several years, despite minimal communication from the NCDOT.

“I saw the plans. I dismissed it as it doesn’t bother me if I have a couple parking places less,” he said. “That’s the worst that I thought was going to happen.”

However, it wasn’t the worst thing that could happen.

Gresser said the plans he saw would only take 1 foot of his land.

Reality was a different story.

“They said, ‘Ya, you’re right. We only want 1 foot of your land, but we need a 75-foot construction easement,’ which means it razes the restaurant,” he said. “Which, I had no idea. They never once said, ‘Hey, I’m going to condemn your property in order to take it for eminent domain.’ Nothing like that. The only letter I got was a week before I met with them.”

Gresser blamed himself for not doing more research, including attending public meetings in 2017, which he said he only knew about after the fact.

“Nobody invited me to those meetings,” the restaurant owner said.

The project, delayed for several years because of funding issues and COVID will include two roundabouts where Hebron Road meets Willow Road as well as at the intersection of Kanuga Road and White Street.

Also, White Street will extend through Greenville Highway, past Haus Heidelberg, ultimately connecting to Spartanburg Highway.

Gresser’s top concern now is getting what he thinks is a fair price for the restaurant so he can begin looking for a new Haus Heidelberg.

“If you’re going to force somebody out for the greater good, give them enough money to, at least, do what they have been doing instead of starting again with a huge amount of debt,” Gresser said.

Although NCDOT Communications Officer David Uchiyama could not discuss specific businesses like Haus Heidelberg because of the real estate transaction, he said proper compensation is always the goal.

“We are now beginning the right-of-way acquisition process, and, through this process, NCDOT right-of-way agents will be communicating with business owners along these routes to make them whole in the end,” he said.

Uchiyama said final plans for the White Street modernization are not due until summer 2025 but stressed their importance.

“Traffic does not flow very well in that area, and that creates safety issues. So, upgrading the several sections in this area are absolutely necessary for the safety of pedestrians, drivers and cyclists,” Uchiyama said.

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