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

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