GAP Report for 6/8/26
URGENT
- 0 Items
PROBLEMATIC
- Asheville should support both affordable housing construction and home repair (updated)
QUESTIONABLE
- 0 Items
POSITIVE
- Asheville should complete its affordable housing recovery investments (updated)
REPORT BACKS
- Buncombe County’s housing investments need an anti-displacement strategy (Resolved Negatively)
- Asheville should shift public safety funding toward prevention and community stability instead of continued expansion of expensive reactive policing systems (Unresolved)
Summary of the Report
Priority Issues: Two Important Housing Decisions for City Council
This week Asheville City Council will consider two important housing recovery decisions. The first is a proposal to move $19.2 million in federal disaster recovery funding away from affordable housing construction and infrastructure projects into the State’s Renew NC home repair and reconstruction program. Helping storm-impacted homeowners remain housed is an important recovery priority. However, Hurricane Helene also displaced renters, intensified Asheville’s housing shortage, and increased housing insecurity throughout the community. We believe Asheville should pursue both homeowner recovery and affordable housing production while using limited recovery dollars in ways that help as many families as possible remain housed.
In addition, we are concerned that City leaders are being asked to make a major investment without sufficient transparency about program costs, efficiency, and outcomes. During last week’s Housing Recovery Board meeting, members cited the high cost per household served, limited access to state program data, and the opportunity cost of reducing affordable housing investments as reasons for recommending against the amendment. The City will also consider a separate bond-funded home repair strategy in July, raising important questions about how different homeowner assistance tools can work together to prevent displacement.
This debate has been evolving for more than six months. Early proposals would have shifted substantially more money away from affordable housing than the City is considering today. Thanks to sustained advocacy from community members, Asheville now appears poised to fund three affordable housing projects recommended through its competitive review process, including Terrace at River Hills, which was initially passed over but is back on the agenda this week. This progress demonstrates that public participation matters. The remaining question is whether City Council will require sufficient transparency and accountability before moving $19.2 million away from multifamily affordable housing and into Renew NC.
Report Back: Buncombe County’s Stance on Anti-Displacement
Last week, GAP supporters sent emails and made public comments urging Buncombe County to develop a comprehensive anti-displacement strategy. We appreciate everyone who took action. The good news is that County Commissioners clearly heard concerns from residents about displacement and housing instability. The disappointing news is that there was no meaningful discussion among commissioners about creating an anti-displacement strategy and no commitment to future action. As recovery continues and housing pressures remain high, we believe this issue cannot be ignored. The need for a coordinated countywide approach to preventing displacement remains as urgent as ever, and GAP will continue pushing for action in the months ahead.
Templates and Links to More Information
Take action with us:
- Email the Asheville City Council to approve the Terrace at River Hills project and delay or reject the proposed $19.2 million transfer into Renew NC, until Asheville residents receive clear evidence that this program is the most effective use of those recovery funds.
- Email the Asheville City Council (if you haven’t already) about revising their budget to emphasize violence prevention.
Resources:
Asheville should support both affordable housing construction and home repair
PROBLEMATIC
Summary: Asheville should help storm-impacted homeowners remain housed, but City Council should delay or reject the proposed $19.2 million transfer to Renew NC unless it can demonstrate that the program is transparent, effective, and the best available strategy for helping the greatest number of families remain housed.
(See our earlier reports on this issue here.)
The Facts: On Tuesday, June 9th, City Council will hold a public hearing on a proposed amendment to Asheville’s CDBG-DR Action Plan that would transfer $19.2 million into the State-administered Renew NC single-family rehabilitation and reconstruction program. In addition to hearing from residents at the meeting, the official federally-mandated public comment period concludes on June 14th.
The proposal would:
- Transfer $9.2 million from the Affordable Multifamily Housing Construction Program.
- Transfer $10 million from Infrastructure funding.
- Increase the Renew NC allocation from $3 million to $22.2 million.
Staff estimate that the current $3 million allocation will serve approximately eight households and that the expanded program would serve roughly 53 additional households, for a total of approximately 60 households served. (Careful readers will note that 8+53 should equal 61, but we presume there are fractions involved and that’s why the total is 60.)
At the Housing Recovery Board meeting last week, Board members raised concerns about the cost of the Renew NC program, the lack of transparency and local oversight, the $100,000 repair threshold that triggers full reconstruction, and the ongoing shortage of affordable rental housing following Helene. After discussion, the board voted 6-4 to recommend against reallocating funds from multifamily housing to Renew NC.
You can see the presentation slides that will be shared at the meeting here and the staff report here.
Our Assessment: The debate is being framed as a choice between helping homeowners and building affordable housing. We believe that framing is too narrow. City staff are already preparing a separate home repair policy and bond-funded repair program for Council consideration this summer, demonstrating that Asheville has multiple tools available to support homeowners. The question is not whether homeowners deserve help; it is whether reducing affordable housing investments is the best way to provide that help.
Hurricane Helene harmed homeowners and renters alike. Homes were damaged and destroyed. Rental units were lost. Housing costs increased. Homelessness increased. Families across Asheville continue to face displacement pressures and some remain in transitional housing, some 20 months after the storm.
The City’s responsibility is not to decide whose housing needs matter more. It is to use limited recovery dollars in ways that prevent displacement and help as many affected households as possible remain housed.
The current proposal would move funding away from a housing strategy expected to serve hundreds of households and into a program expected to serve approximately 60 households. That does not mean the proposal is wrong. It does mean the burden of proof should be high.
At present, the public has not received sufficient information about Renew NC’s administrative costs, contractor costs, project timelines, repair-versus-reconstruction outcomes, or how many applicants will remain unserved even after the proposed funding increase. Council members and staff have also acknowledged that the City does not have full visibility into all of the data being collected by the State, limiting Asheville’s ability to independently evaluate outcomes and unmet needs. This was one of the key concerns raised by the Housing Recovery Board, which ultimately voted against this amendment.
Most importantly, the City has not demonstrated that Renew NC is the most effective available strategy for preserving storm-damaged homes. Before reducing affordable housing investments, Council should be confident that the alternative investment will produce the greatest possible public benefit. The proposed amendment should be delayed or rejected unless Renew NC and City staff can provide:
- Detailed reporting on administrative and contractor costs.
- Data on repair versus reconstruction projects.
- Average project costs and timelines.
- A breakdown of the factors driving program costs.
- Estimates of unmet homeowner need after the proposed investment.
- A clear explanation of how Renew NC fits alongside upcoming locally funded home repair and anti-displacement strategies.
If Renew NC can demonstrate that it is the most effective available strategy for preserving homeownership and preventing displacement, additional investment may be justified.
If it cannot, Asheville should explore partnerships with local contractors and locally administered repair programs that may preserve more homes, help more families, strengthen local economic recovery, and provide stronger public oversight.
Things to do: Contact City Council and urge members to delay or reject the proposed transfer until Asheville residents receive clear evidence that Renew NC is the most effective use of these recovery funds. You can use our email template below, which addresses this issue and the need to support a pending affordable housing construction project.
Email Template: You can send an email to the members of the Asheville City Council and post an official public comment on this amendment by filling out the form below. Our email tool will send an individually addressed email to the recipients, and enable us to track how many emails were sent overall in the campaign. If you prefer to write your own email, you can copy and paste (and adapt) our template text – please cc: or bcc: info@gapavl.org on your individualized email, so we can better track how many emails were sent.
Important: If you receive a response to your email, please forward it to us at info@gapavl.org so we can reflect that in the report back.
To: AshevilleNCCouncil@ashevillenc.gov, cdbg-dr@ashevillenc.gov
CC: or BCC: info@gapavl.org
Subject: Support homeowners and affordable housing in Asheville’s recovery
Dear Mayor Manheimer and City Council Members,
I am writing regarding the proposed CDBG-DR decisions currently before City Council.
I support helping homeowners whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Helene. Preserving homeownership and preventing displacement should remain important recovery priorities.
However, Hurricane Helene also worsened Asheville’s rental housing crisis and increased displacement pressures for renters throughout our community. Recovery funds should be used in ways that help as many affected families as possible remain housed.
Before approving the proposed transfer of $19.2 million into Renew NC, I urge Council to require greater transparency regarding program costs, outcomes, and effectiveness. The public deserves clear information about administrative expenses, contractor costs, project timelines, and the factors driving an estimated cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars per household served. Council should also explore whether alternative approaches could help more homeowners while providing stronger local oversight and accountability.
I also encourage Council to approve the proposed funding award for Terrace at River Hills. The project was ranked highest through the City’s competitive review process and would create 126 affordable homes with long-term affordability protections.
Asheville should not be forced to choose between homeowners and renters. Both groups have been affected by the housing impacts of Hurricane Helene, and both deserve to be part of the City’s recovery strategy.
Thank you for your service and consideration.
Sincerely,
REPORT BACK STATUS
Unresolved
Report Back
Last week, community members responded to our initial call to action around the proposed CDBG-DR amendment that would shift $9.2 million from affordable multifamily housing to the Renew NC homeowner recovery program. At its June 3 meeting, the Housing Recovery Board held an extensive discussion about the tradeoffs between preserving affordable rental housing and funding single-family home reconstruction. As we shared above: Board members raised concerns about the cost of the Renew NC program, the lack of transparency and local oversight, the $100,000 repair threshold that triggers full reconstruction, and the ongoing shortage of affordable rental housing following Helene. After discussion, the board voted 6-4 to recommend against reallocating funds from multifamily housing to Renew NC. The board also unanimously approved a separate motion urging the City to pursue all available avenues to secure access to state CDBG-DR housing funds for eligible Asheville households. Public comments echoed many of the same themes, emphasizing the need to support both homeowners and renters while preserving long-term affordable housing opportunities.
Total GAP Supporter Actions Taken: 16
Recipients and Responses:
Asheville City Council
- Mayor Esther Manheimer: No response
- Vice Mayor Antanette Mosley: No response
- City Council Member Bo Hess: No response
- City Council Member Kim Roney: No response
- City Council Member Maggie Ullman: No response
- City Council Member Sage Turner: No response
- City Council Member Sheneika Smith: No response
Asheville should complete its affordable housing recovery investments
POSITIVE
Summary: City Council should approve funding for Terrace at River Hills and complete the affordable housing investments recommended through the City’s competitive CDBG-DR process.
(See our earlier report on this issue here.)
The Facts: Last month, City Council approved funding for District East Commons and 319B Biltmore, which together will create 205 affordable rental homes.
Council did not approve funding for Terrace at River Hills, despite the project receiving the highest ranking through the City’s competitive evaluation process.
Staff have now returned with a renewed recommendation to award $9.5 million in CDBG-DR funds to Terrace at River Hills.
The project would:
- Create 126 affordable housing units.
- Include 14 deeply affordable units serving households at 20% and 30% AMI.
- Provide 86 units (68% of total) affordable to households below 60% AMI.
- Maintain affordability for at least 35 years.
- Be ready to move forward immediately if approved.
You can see the presentation slides that will be shared at the meeting here and the staff report here.
Our Assessment: Affordable housing remains one of Asheville’s most urgent recovery needs.
While much attention has been paid to damaged homes, renters have also experienced the consequences of Hurricane Helene. Reduced housing supply, rising rents, increased housing instability, and growing displacement pressures continue to affect families throughout the community.
Terrace at River Hills represents exactly the type of investment recovery funds were intended to support. The project was ranked highest through the City’s published evaluation process, recommended by staff, and includes both deeply affordable units and long-term affordability protections.
Approving this project would help address immediate housing needs while preserving affordability for future generations of Asheville residents.
Things to do: Contact City Council and urge members to approve funding for Terrace at River Hills and continue investing in affordable housing as part of Asheville’s recovery. You can use the template above, which addresses this issue and the need to delay or reject a proposed shift of funds to Renew NC until Asheville residents receive clear evidence that this is the most effective use of those recovery funds.
REPORT BACK STATUS
Unresolved
Report Back
City Council partially approved the proposed CDBG-DR affordable housing awards on May 12, 2026, voting to fund District East Commons and 319-B Biltmore while declining to move forward with Terrace at River Hills after a motion (by Council Member Ullman) to fund the project failed for lack of a second.
Total GAP Supporter Actions Taken: 22
Recipients and Responses:
Asheville City Council
- Mayor Esther Manheimer: No response
- Vice Mayor Antanette Mosley: No response
- City Council Member Bo Hess: No response
- City Council Member Kim Roney: No response
- City Council Member Maggie Ullman: No response
- City Council Member Sage Turner: No response
- City Council Member Sheneika Smith: No response
Buncombe County’s housing investments need an anti-displacement strategy
PROBLEMATIC
Summary (Updated 6/8/26): Last week, GAP supporters sent emails and made public comments urging Buncombe County to develop a comprehensive anti-displacement strategy. We appreciate everyone who took action. The good news is that County Commissioners clearly heard concerns from residents about displacement and housing instability. The disappointing news is that there was no meaningful discussion among commissioners about creating an anti-displacement strategy and no commitment to future action. As recovery continues and housing pressures remain high, we believe this issue cannot be ignored. The need for a coordinated countywide approach to preventing displacement remains as urgent as ever, and GAP will continue pushing for action in the months ahead.
Original Summary: Buncombe County is considering a $40 million housing bond and adopting its FY27 budget, but continues to make major housing and spending decisions without a comprehensive anti-displacement strategy. We support the County’s continued investments in affordable housing, but urge the Commission to maximize the impact of these funds by adopting a framework that identifies residents most vulnerable to displacement and guides public investments accordingly.
The facts: On Tuesday, June 2, the Buncombe County Commission will consider two significant housing-related actions.
First, the Commission will move forward with a proposed bond referendum that would allow voters to decide whether to authorize $40 million in housing bonds. County staff have indicated that previously approved affordable housing bond funds have already been committed and that significant housing needs remain.
Second, the Commission is scheduled to adopt its FY27 budget. The budget includes funding for affordable housing and other community investments intended to address local needs.
Taken together, these actions demonstrate that Buncombe County recognizes housing affordability and housing stability as major community concerns. You can see the presentation slides for the housing bond here. You can read the latest County Budget in Brief draft here.
Our Assessment: We support increased investments in housing and community well-being. The proposed housing bond and housing-related budget investments are important steps forward.
At the same time, Buncombe County continues to make major decisions about housing, economic development, public safety, transportation, and disaster recovery without a formal anti-displacement framework. Without one, the County lacks a consistent way to identify where displacement pressures are greatest, evaluate the impacts of public decisions, and ensure resources are reaching the people and neighborhoods most at risk.
The result is not necessarily bad policy. The result is missed opportunities. Public investments can accomplish more when they are guided by data and analysis about who is being displaced, where displacement is occurring, and what interventions are most effective at helping residents remain in their homes and communities.
We have raised this issue on 27 separate occasions in the past six months, but have yet to see it discussed at a County Commission meeting or otherwise given serious consideration by County leaders.
Our Proposal: We continue to call on Buncombe County to adopt a comprehensive anti-displacement strategy. Such a strategy would identify neighborhoods experiencing displacement pressure, track housing stability indicators, evaluate major policy decisions through an anti-displacement lens, and align public investments with the goal of helping residents remain in place. An anti-displacement strategy would not replace investments like the housing bond or affordable housing funding. It would strengthen them by helping ensure those resources are targeted where they can do the greatest good.
Read our proposal here.
Things to do: No action suggested at this time. Last week, we invited you to send an email to the County Commission and sign up to join us in making a public comment on June 2, asking County leaders to pair housing investments with a comprehensive anti-displacement strategy.
REPORT BACK STATUS
Resolved Negatively
Report Back
There was no meaningful discussion among commissioners about creating an anti-displacement strategy and no commitment to future action.
Total GAP Supporter Actions Taken: 15
Recipients and Responses:
Buncombe County Commission
- County Commission Chair Amanda Edwards: No response
- County Commissioner Al Whitesides: No response
- County Commissioner Drew Ball: No response
- County Commissioner Jennifer Horton: No response
- County Commissioner Martin Moore: No response
- County Commissioner Parker Sloane: No response
- County Commissioner Terri Wells: No response
Asheville should shift public safety funding toward prevention and community stability instead of expanding expensive reactive policing systems
PROBLEMATIC
Summary (updated 6/1/26): Last week, we advocated for Asheville to reconsider its budget priorities – instead of adding more officers and continuing to invest in surveillance, we suggested serious investment in Community Violence Intervention techniques that have a powerful track record of being more cost effective and getting better results. There was no discussion of this proposal at the meeting, nor any substantive response from most of City Council — Council Members Hess and Roney did respond to GAP Supporter emails indicating agreement with our position. City Council will vote on the budget at their next meeting on June 9th, so this is still an active call to action. See our template below.
Original Summary: Asheville’s proposed FY2027 budget continues expanding policing and surveillance infrastructure while considering reductions to community resources like recreation center hours, despite growing evidence that prevention-oriented strategies may reduce violence more effectively and at a significantly lower cost.
The Facts: The City of Asheville is currently considering a FY2027 budget that includes continued allocation of resources toward policing technology, surveillance infrastructure, and staffing growth tied to the City’s developing Real-Time Intelligence Center (RTIC). At the same time, the City is considering reductions to community center operating hours amid broader budget pressures.
You can read the latest City budget draft here.
Our Assessment: The current budget approach places greater emphasis on reactive systems — surveillance, technology expansion, and long-term policing obligations — than on the community conditions that may help prevent violence in the first place.
The proposed reduction in community center hours is especially concerning because these facilities provide more than recreation. They create safe gathering spaces, youth engagement opportunities, and neighborhood stability. Research demonstrates that these are conditions that actually contribute to public safety. Meanwhile, evidence that surveillance expansion and increased police staffing substantially reduce violence remains mixed at best. If our budget resources are truly limited, we literally can’t afford to keep pouring money into an approach that won’t be certain to substantially improve public safety, while ignoring an approach to public safety that could prevent more harm and crime at a fraction of the cost.
You can learn more about the evidence supporting community violence prevention and our policy arguments in our special report: Preventing Violence Before it Happens: Why Asheville Should Rebalance Public Safety Priorities in FY2027.
Our Proposal: Asheville should use the final weeks of the budget process to rebalance public safety priorities toward prevention and community stability.
- The City should slow further surveillance expansion, which means pausing or limiting additional investment in new camera systems, license plate readers, software integrations, and long-term surveillance contracts until the City can demonstrate clear evidence that these systems meaningfully improve public safety relative to their long-term cost.
- The City should also carefully manage future policing growth through attrition. This doesn’t mean eliminating Asheville’s existing public safety capacity. Instead, it suggests that we stop adding new sworn officers – the current budget draft calls for 24 additions – so that the City can balance enforcement needs with greater investment in prevention-oriented public safety approaches.
- With the resources liberated by this approach, the City can preserve community center operations, and create a modest Community Violence Intervention pilot focused on youth outreach, mentorship, conflict mediation, and trauma-informed support. This could strengthen communities and reduce the strain on our existing public safety systems (that may be leading the City to believe we need more restrictive and reactive strategies).
For readers who want more detail, our full recommendations are outlined in the “Proposed FY2027 Budget Adjustments” section of our special report here.
Things to do: If you haven’t already reached out, we invite you to use our email template to contact Asheville City Council and urge the City to prioritize prevention-oriented public safety investments and preservation of community infrastructure.
Email Template: You can send an email to the Asheville City Council by filling out the form below. Our email tool will send an individually addressed email to the recipients, and enable us to track how many emails were sent overall in the campaign. If you prefer to write your own email, you can copy and paste (and adapt) our template text – please cc: or bcc: info@gapavl.org on your individualized email, so we can better track how many emails were sent.
To: AshevilleNCCouncil@ashevillenc.gov
CC: or BCC: info@gapavl.org
Subject: Please prioritize prevention and community stability in Asheville’s budget
Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
I am writing because I am deeply concerned about the direction of Asheville’s FY2027 public safety budget.
The current draft budget reflects a simultaneous reduction of community center hours alongside expansion of expensive policing technology, surveillance infrastructure, and staffing. I believe this reflects the wrong set of priorities.
Research increasingly shows that violence is often driven by instability, trauma, chronic stress, isolation, and conflict escalation — conditions that cannot be solved through surveillance cameras or reactive enforcement alone. Prevention-oriented strategies like youth outreach, mentorship, conflict mediation, trauma-informed services, and Community Violence Intervention (CVI) programs are often more effective at reducing violence before it happens, while also costing far less over time.
Community centers and neighborhood programs are not separate from public safety. They are part of what creates public safety. They provide young people with safe spaces, trusted relationships, recreation opportunities, mentorship, and community connection. Cutting resources from these systems while expanding long-term surveillance infrastructure could weaken some of the very conditions that help prevent violence in the first place.
I urge the City to:
- Reconsider further surveillance expansion and long-term technology commitments
- Pause hiring of sworn officers in the Asheville Police Department, or hire fewer than the 24 additional officers proposed in the budget
- Use the considerable funding this will free up to preserve community center hours as a resource for prevention-oriented public safety approaches, including a modest Community Violence Intervention pilot program
Asheville has an opportunity to pursue a public safety strategy rooted not only in responding after harm occurs, but in preventing violence before lives are permanently altered.
Thank you for your consideration.
REPORT BACK STATUS
Unresolved
Report Back
Total GAP Supporter Actions Taken: 36
Recipients and Responses:
Asheville City Council
- Mayor Esther Manheimer: No response
- Vice Mayor Antanette Mosley: No response
- City Council Member Bo Hess: Responded, see below
- City Council Member Kim Roney: Responded, see below
- City Council Member Maggie Ullman: No response
- City Council Member Sage Turner: No response
- City Council Member Sheneika Smith: No response
Email Response from Council Member Bo Hess:
I agree.
Bo
Email response from Kim Roney:
Thank you for providing input on the budget and for your request to pursue public safety strategies focused on prevention, healing, and community well-being.
With shared concern,
Kim
PREVIOUS REPORTS
GAP Report for 6/1/26
0 Items Buncombe County’s housing investments need an anti-displacement strategy (new) Asheville should support both affordable housing construction and home repair (new) 0 Items Asheville should shift public safety funding toward prevention and community stability...
GAP Report for 5/25/26
0 Items Asheville should shift public safety funding toward prevention and community stability instead of continued expansion of expensive reactive policing systems (new) 0 Items 0 Items Buncombe County’s proposed revitalization initiatives and FY2027 budget lack...
GAP Report for 5/18/26
0 Items Buncombe County’s proposed revitalization initiatives and FY2027 budget lack meaningful anti-displacement safeguards (new) 0 Items 0 Items Asheville should reject or substantially revise the Caribou Road and Sweeten Creek developments in response to community...
GAP Report for 5/11/26
Asheville should reject or substantially revise the Caribou Road and Sweeten Creek developments in response to community concerns from Shiloh (new) Asheville should reject the proposed RTIC/Axon surveillance expansion until real oversight and accountability exist...
GAP Report for 5/4/26
0 Items Buncombe County is advancing budget, land use, and investment decisions without any anti-displacement analysis (new) Appeal deadline for property tax reappraisals is too early (resolved) The 50 Coxe Avenue affordable housing development should do more to...