Updated Call to Action (11/11): While the City deactivated the 65 Ford Street location (with an entrance on Deaverview Road), and eliminated the Roger Farmer Park and Municipal Golf Course locations for Helene debris sorting sites, they have proceeded with debris sorting at Enka Commerce Park, which is close to several schools and neighborhoods. We are amplifying the call from our allies at OURavl, and encourage you to sign their petition. It calls for a permanent relocation of debris sites away from residential neighborhoods and school areas, a public request for the Biltmore Company to make land available for these sites, implementation of strict health and environmental protocols at these sites, and a commitment to keep impacted communities updated and informed in the planning process. You can sign the petition here here.

The Facts (Updated 11/11): Beginning on October 14th, the City of Asheville started creating “debris sorting facilities” in residential neighborhoods, including two in the Deaverview neighborhood. These sites will sort debris, some of which is toxic. The presence of these facilities and their operations pose risks to the health and well-being of residents who live near the sites.

After a wave of public concern, the two sites on Deaverview Road were closed on October 21st, and the City established a main storm debris management site at Enka Commerce Park. The City has identified one of the Deaverview sites as a “backup site” to be used “only if needed,” which leaves the door open to “reactivate” this site. Enka Commerce Park has now been set up as the primary debris site.

For more background, we invite you to read our original post below.

Our Assessment (Updated 11/11): We stand with the folks at OURavl in calling for:

• Permanent Relocation of Debris Sites: We urge the Council to find suitable locations for these facilities that are safely away from residential neighborhoods and school areas.
• Consideration of Alternative Sites: We ask that the City explore non-residential alternatives, such as land owned by entities like the Biltmore Company, which owns large areas of land removed from residential and school zones.
• Implementation of Strict Health and Environmental Protocols: Debris processing in urban-adjacent areas necessitates stringent safety measures to prevent air and water contamination.
• Commitment to Transparency and Community Involvement: Finally, we urge the Council to ensure affected communities—especially in East Asheville, Enka, and other impacted neighborhoods—are regularly updated and involved in planning processes.
  

Things to do: Sign the petition at OURavl.org here.

Report Back

The City of Asheville decided on Monday, October 21st, to close the two sites in the Deaverview neighborhood. We have not gotten a response to our new requests: that they commit not to reactivate the 65 Ford Street site, to keep any future sites out of all residential neighborhoods, and to publicly ask the Biltmore Company to loan some of their land for debris sorting.

Total GAP Supporter Actions Taken: 133

Recipients and Responses:

Asheville City Council

• Mayor Esther Manheimer: No response
• Vice Mayor Sandra Kilgore: No response
• City Council Member Antanette Mosley: No response
• 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

Summary: The City of Asheville created “debris sorting facilities” on two sites adjacent to public housing and affordable housing communities in the Deaverview neighborhood. Storm debris, some of which is toxic, will be brought to this site for processing. The presence of this facility and its operations is likely to negatively impact the health and well-being of local residents.

The Facts: Asheville City Manager Debra Campbell publicly announced at a media briefing on October 14th that the City was setting up debris sorting facilities at a 20-acre site located at 65 Ford Street and at Roger Farmer Park located at 71 Deaverview Road. These sites are adjacent to Deaverview Apartments (one of the City’s public housing communities), as well as Westmore Apartments (an affordable housing complex) and other homes. Campbell “said the sites would serve temporarily as staging for organic waste, like trees and vegetation; construction and demolition materials; appliances and electronics; and household hazardous waste, like batteries, pesticides, paint and cleaning supplies. Processing the materials might produce ‘noise, dust and smells,’ she said.” (Asheville Citizen-Times) 

Additional information:

• The City has not announced any expected timeline or explained what they mean by “temporary.”
• The City says they notified local residents by sending someone door-to-door before the operation was set up. Some residents report receiving a letter on their door, but many other residents reported they did not get any written or verbal notification.
• The City is trying to recruit community members from these neighborhoods to work at the site.
• The Ford Street site was permitted through the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, and City Manager Campbell said the City would “comply with all environmental requirements.” But we haven’t been given the standards and rules by which they are ensuring environmental safety for the surrounding neighborhoods. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) guidance on setting up these kinds of sites states: “To protect human health and the environment, temporary debris management sites should: …Be located close to the impacted area but far enough away from residences, infrastructure, and businesses that could be affected by site operations. Sites can attract vectors, such as rodents and other pests, produce noise and odors at levels deemed unacceptable by residents, and put a large burden on normal traffic patterns” (EPA’s Planning for Natural Disaster Debrief). These planned sites do not seem to meet these criteria.

Our Assessment: Setting up hazardous waste processing sites in such close proximity to homes in any neighborhood is unacceptable. Setting up these sites in a working-class neighborhood with a significant Black and Latine population has clear racial justice implications. This is not uncommon in the aftermath of disasters like this. If we don’t want it to happen here, we need to take a stand. (Here is an article that describes similar environmental racism after Hurricane Katrina.)

These “debris sorting sites” represent multiple overlapping risks for the local community. Beyond the risk of airborne toxins and other contamination, Deaverview Road is only a two-lane road and there are no sidewalks. Heavy trucks using those roads represent a significant safety hazard.

The City has claimed it has no alternative but to use these sites, but hasn’t publicly shared what locations they have considered and then excluded. We wonder:

• What about other City or County-owned land that is not proximate to people’s homes?

• What about privately held land that the City might lease? There is an item on the consent agenda for Tuesday’s City Council meeting, authorizing a lease of property on the Enka Heritage Parkway that appears to be much farther from residential neighborhoods than the two sites near Deaverview. Has the City explored all other such options in the County?

• Examples of alternatives the City could be considering include requesting a donation or lease of undeveloped property owned by Ingles or some portion of the Biltmore Company’s over 8000 acres of land (most of it far from residential areas).

Join us in calling on the Asheville City Council to reconsider the location for these sites and address the questions listed above at their meeting on October 22nd.

Things to do: We invite you to email the members of the Asheville City Council and urge them to reconsider the placement of debris sorting facilities so close to this community. You can use our email template below to send them a message about this issue.

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 – we ask that you send us a copy (cc: or bcc:, your choice) at info@gapavl.org so we can better track how many emails were sent.

To: AshevilleNCCouncil@ashevillenc.gov

CC: or BCC: info@gapavl.org

Subject: No toxic debris sorting next to Deaverview

Dear Members of City Council,

I have learned that the City of Asheville is setting up two debris sorting sites very close to the Deaverview Apartments. As you know, these sites will process debris that includes toxic materials, and their proximity will pose health risks to this community. While the City may feel it has no other choice of location, I wonder whether private landholders were approached for lease agreements to set up sites like these. I’m particularly curious about whether Ingles, which owns several undeveloped sites, has been approached. What about the Biltmore Company, which owns over 8000 acres, many of which are far from residential areas? Have they been asked to donate or lease land for this work to be done, in order to mitigate the risks to vulnerable communities?

Thanks for your leadership,