Rebuild Malvern Hills Pool

11/21/2025

Here's the latest Malvern Hills Pool design endorsed by the Rebuild Malvern Hills Pool effort. Saving this over 90 year old gem of West Asheville was a huge team effort. If things go as planned and, importantly, City Council approves this design, we should see a rebuilt pool by summer 2028.

10/14/2025

City leaders should be expanding — not shrinking — public access to full-sized pools. Malvern Hills should maintain its historic footprint, with a zero-entry shallow end for young children and a true 8–9 foot deep end for teens, adults and lifeguard training. Asheville deserves public pools that meet the same safety and quality standards as private facilities. Anything less is inequitable.

If you follow local public projects, you may have noticed the national trend of shrinkflation hitting close to home. Recently unveiled designs for Malvern Hills Park pool are a case in point. Asheville once had three public pools — Walton Street, Malvern Hills Park and Recreation Park. Today, afte...

10/03/2025

Now Public: A Design for a Fully Rebuilt Malvern Hills Pool

Last August, City Council was shown three pool design concepts, including a full rebuild that preserves the original footprint of Malvern Hills Pool with a true deep end. After weeks of requests, Parks & Rec finally released these designs—yet the polling of Council and decision-making all happened behind closed doors without community input. We are sharing this original design because it reflects what residents have consistently asked for, and it’s critical that as many people as possible see it.

City Council can do better.

Click here to tell City Council "Don't Downsize the Pool!"

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/dont-downsize-malvern-hills-pool/

09/30/2025

09/26/2025

With Malvern Hills Pool’s deep end gone, Asheville will have nine private pools with deep ends and zero public ones. Families without memberships to places like the Y, Racquet Club, or JCC lose out, while middle- and lower-income swimmers face more risk as public pools eliminate deep water.

Pools with a Deep End (They are all private pools)

Asheville Racquet Club – Downtown
Asheville Racquet Club – South
Asheville JCC (deep end confirmed: 12 ft)
YWCA of Asheville
YMCA of Western NC – Downtown Asheville YMCA
YMCA of Western NC – Reuter Family YMCA
Country Club of Asheville
East Asheville Recreation Club
Odyssey School Pool

09/25/2025

What is the REAL occupancy of Malvern Hills Pool?

The 2016 Assessment of Malvern Hills Pool by Matthews Architecture P.A. clearly states that the occupancy of the pool is 150 people - based on a calculation of "50 square feet per the surface area of 7,500 sf." If that is the case, where does the NEW number of 200 people come from? If the pool is being shrunk from 7,500 square feet to 5,369 square feet, the occupancy must be recalculated. Base on the 2016 Assessment, this new occupancy becomes 5,369/50 = 107.38. So the occupancy drops from 150 swimmers down to 107, or 29% less swim capacity.

It would be helpful for Parks & Rec to clarify where the new figure comes from.

09/24/2025

Asheville's Department Parks and Recreation has just unveiled the new design for a smaller, shrunken Malvern Hills Pool. Now is when our community voices matter most. Decisions about the pool’s size, layout, and long-term role are being finalized. The proposed plan shrinks the pool from its historic 7,500 square feet down to just 5,369 square feet — nearly a 30% reduction — at the very time Asheville is growing and our largest pool, Recreation Park, has been destroyed by Helene. Once this smaller design is locked in, it will permanently limit how many families can use the pool and will disproportionately impact middle- and lower-income residents who rely on public pools because they cannot afford private memberships. Acting now is essential if we want Malvern Hills Pool to remain a true community-scale resource that provides safe, healthy, and equitable recreation for Asheville’s kids and families.

Asheville's Department Parks and Recreation has just unveiled the new design for a smaller, shrunken Malvern Hills Pool. Now is when our community voices matter most. Decisions about the pool’s size, layout, and long-term role are being finalized. The proposed plan shrinks the pool from its histor...