There’s a new restaurant planned for The Wedge building in the River Arts District. Tim Schaller, the owner of Wedge Brewing, told me back in May that was the plan after he and a group of investors purchased the building.

Several artists I talked with on Wednesday also said they knew of plans for a restaurant, as well as retail shops, on the loading dock side of the building that houses artists’ working studios and galleries. The rumor is that the owner of The Admiral restaurant is planning to be a part of the new restaurant. That’s unconfirmed at this point.

The artists being told to move because of the new ventures include Heather Knight and Ben Betsalel. Heather is moving to new space on Depot Street. Betsalel, who was apparently already planning a move, is headed to Ethiopia.

The movement is causing a little upset among some artists and some observers of Asheville’s art scene. The Wedge building helped put the River Arts District on the map as an artists’ haven. Some don’t want anything to change there. Others see the changes as an evolution.

The Mountain Xpress has a nice piece here on Betsalel’s new show, a look at the investors who recently bought the building.

More to come on this.