Olivette

Welcome to Olivette

A new kind of community

Olivette is a 346-acre planned community and historic farm, located along the French Broad River, just 6.7 miles from downtown Asheville. An agrihood community, Olivette is home to a vibrant vegetable, fruit and flower farm. The community also provides seven acres of riverfront beach, a large private river island, several miles of walking trails, community-wide geothermal heating and cooling, community gardens, a pavilion and a fire-circle amphitheater, Little Free Libraries, a bike-sharing program, and fiber-to-home broadband internet access.

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Olivette isn't your "typical" neighborhood. Our community is designed so that residents can breathe deeply, soak up mountain life, unplug and enjoy the outdoors. We provide amenities to help you and your family explore, learn, create and unwind. Life at Olivette is not designed to be isolated but experiential. Whether you're an artist looking for the space to set up an easel and paint Blue Ridge sunsets, a parent interested in teaching your young children about their ecological footprint, a marathon runner looking for a home where you can walk out your front door and onto mountain trails, or a retiree who loves to fish, Olivette will provide the space you need to live a healthy, vibrant and connected life. Adventure and natural beauty abound in this new kind of community.

Discover Our Amenities

Jessica
“ I called Olivette just a month or so before my wedding date. The scenery is perfect, and they were able to squeeze me in last minute. I definitely recommend this venue to someone wanting an outdoor wedding. ”
Jennifer and Joe
“ As wedding photographers in Asheville, we are blessed to come across all kinds of amazing wedding venues, but Olivette is by far one of our favorites! The scenery makes for an amazing outdoor wedding! ”
Barbara
“ What a gorgeous place for our daughter's wedding! Olivette's 'Azalea Island' was the perfect place for our bride and groom to take their vows. ”
Jackie
“ Olivette was an amazing wedding venue. I cannot say enough positive things. It is a beautiful space on the French Broad River to get married. They are easy to communicate with and really worked hard to make our day perfect. ”
Grace
“ We had a ceremony/reception at Olivette in August 2017, and it was the perfect location. Our guests couldn’t stop commenting on the beauty of the park, the ceremony circle, the stone labyrinth, the firepit, and the river. ”
Amanda
“ I wanted a venue that made me feel like home and this venue delivered. Everyone went above and beyond to make our day amazing! I highly recommend Olivette! ”

William “Tama” Dickerson was born and raised in Nashville, TN, but fell in love with the mountains of North Carolina in 1979. He put down roots in Cherokee, spending three years off the grid as a caretaker in a log cabin, living in harmony with the land around him. This early experience has influenced his career ever since; he’s always been a caretaker and shaper of the earth, living with nature in a respectful, interactive way.

He describes his role at Olivette Riverside Community as being entrusted with the care and development of “everything horizontal.” Specifically, Tama decides which areas of the 346-acre property will be wildlife corridors and what’s going to be protected. The land plan he oversees is designed to ensure that the development honors the land long term, including designating natural spaces that encourage residents to interact with the water, forest, and land, as well as with the other inhabitants that live there. His vision can be seen in such projects as the labyrinth, a private river island, several miles of hiking trails, and the 7-acre riverfront park.

Tama also was instrumental in bringing the agrihood concept to Olivette. He is introducing permaculture to the development in the form of edible landscapes throughout the property.

According to Tama, “Olivette Riverside Community and Farm is a culmination of every aspect of what’s important to me in one place—sustainability, community, spirituality, gardening, diversity, creativity, and shaping and honoring the land. “

He is also founder of Paint Rock Farm, in Hot Springs, NC, developing and designing all aspects of the accommodation of this property, which offers glamping, retreats, and a wedding venue. Tama has developed several other vacation retreats and developments in the region, always going out of his way to lightly develop the land and leave plenty of wide-open spaces.

Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Allison moved to the mountains of western North Carolina to attend UNC Asheville and never left. A founding partner of Olivette Riverside Community and Farm, Allison enjoys collaborating with the Olivette team on everything from branding and design, to community development, to planning future neighborhoods. A published author and designer, Allison is a contributing designer to twenty-four Lark Books on an array of topics ranging from home décor, to general crafting, to children’s titles. While not currently seeing clients, she is also a NC Licensed Professional Counselor and enjoys partnering with community members to provide coordinated supportive services for children and families that foster social, emotional, educational, and cultural growth. An active supporter of animal welfare and environmental causes, Allison lives in Asheville with her husband, Olivette founding partner William Dickerson, where they raised four amazing daughters together. She has been a NC licensed Real Estate Broker since 2005.

Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Elliott honed a number of valuable skill sets over a 20 year career with Sam’s Club, working his way from gathering shopping carts to managing Sam’s Club locations all over the southeast. After living in 7 cities in 7 years, he and his family transferred to Asheville, North Carolina, and quickly realized Asheville was the home where they would put down roots. Asheville’s people, the diversity of natural beauty, and the opportunity to commune with both, soon helped Elliott realize it was time to think about redirecting his professional efforts. After a 3 week immersion into the majestic beauty, mystery and isolation of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, Elliott and his family made the decision to take a leap of faith and leave his corporate job of 20 years. As luck would have it, this leap landed Elliott’s feet solidly on a path that would eventually lead to what would quickly become his passion, Olivette Riverside Community and Farm. Elliott thinks “Olivette is truly on the cutting edge of responsible real estate development and community building.” He feels incredibly fortunate to bring his business acumen, interpersonal skills, appreciation of nature, and knowledge of energy efficient and sustainable building practices to the Olivette team in his role as a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Rater, and Realtor.

Arica heeded the call of entrepreneurism by moving to the mountains and starting Asheville Plays and the Haunted Trail. The Haunted Trail is her signature event performed annually at Pisgah Brewing Company. Previously, Arica served as Recreation Director at Salamander Hospitality. There she created the recreation program at Innisbrook Golf Resort in Tampa, Fl. She also served on the Salamander task force team to develop two 5 diamond resorts in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Before Salamander Hospitality, she held the Recreation Manager position at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Charleston, SC. At each location, Arica gained experience in delivering high quality programing to groups in a luxury resort setting. Arica earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Recreation Management and her Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Spanish from Appalachian State University. She has been a member of the Resort and Commercial Recreation Association since 2003, serving on the Board of Directors including President in 2014. Arica’s true passion is creating opportunities for people to have fun and memorable experiences together.

Joe’s passion for agriculture took root while working in coffee fields of Central America. His interest and experience further flourished while working on farms out west and for several prominent family farms in WNC. The thriving culinary climate and agricultural communities of WNC solidified his purpose to farm. In the fall of 2010, Joe started Paper Crane Farm, offering a robust CSA and supplying Asheville farmer’s markets and restaurants with quality produce for the last 7 years. It is his intention to grow clean, nutrient dense produce that not only connects people to the food they eat, but to the land from which it came. His desire to share methods, tools, and growing practices while educating interns transitioning to farmers has kept him an active member within the local farming community.

He believes that focusing on the soil is paramount to sustainable agriculture. Through thoughtful tillage and steady incorporation of organic matter builds fertile ground. After years of stewarding several parcels of land, Joe comes to Olivette with a passion to not only cultivate crops but connections with people. He shares in Olivette’s vision of community gathered around a working farm, and sustainable living that seamlessly transpires from the surrounding landscape.

Joe holds a B.S. in Psychology from The College of Charleston and can often be found in the field deciphering the language of plants. When he’s not farming he enjoys spending time with his family, working on their homestead and basking in the beautiful outdoors that WNC offers.

There's No Place Like Olivette

Not Your Typical Neighborhood

Your Event, Our Perfect Setting

Kind Words

Jessica

Jennifer and Joe

Barbara

Jackie

Grace

Amanda

Olivette Farm

Real Estate

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