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• Buncombe County needs to adopt an anti-displacement policy (updated)
• Asheville needs to adopt an anti-displacement policy (report back)

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Updated Item: Buncombe County needs to adopt an anti-displacement policy

This week, Buncombe County is making important investments in economic development, climate resilience, and disaster recovery. From energy‑efficiency financing through the Commercial Property Assessed Capital Expenditure (C‑PACE) program to infrastructure investments like the Swannanoa Sidewalks project, these agenda items reflect a County that is actively shaping its future. But without a clear, consistent anti‑displacement policy, these well‑intended actions risk accelerating a familiar and harmful pattern: public investment raises property values, rents increase, and long‑time residents – disproportionately low‑income households and communities of color – are pushed out of their communities.

Rising housing costs, increased tax burdens, and speculative pressure are already reshaping who can afford to live here, particularly in unincorporated areas and historically marginalized communities. Despite the fact that the County acknowledges the vulnerability that residents are facing (e.g. Helene recovery), it continues to make major policy and investment decisions without a standardized framework for protecting current residents from being displaced by those efforts.

This week’s County Commission agenda underscores both the risk and the opportunity. A countywide anti‑displacement policy would not stop the progress they seek; it would ensure that the benefits of the progress are shared. We are asking the County to adopt a clear policy now, to ensure that public action strengthens, rather than destabilizes, our communities.

Other Updates: Asheville needs to adopt an anti-displacement policy

City Council did not explicitly respond (privately or in its last meeting) to our call for an anti-displacement policy, but we did get some inquiry from a Councilmember and a response from City staff who want to meet with us about their next steps.