Summary (Updated 5/18/26): City Council unanimously voted 7-0 to deny the Caribou Road rezoning proposal after extensive neighborhood opposition and public discussion regarding traffic safety, infrastructure limitations, pedestrian dangers, and consistency with the adopted Shiloh Community Plan. Residents repeatedly emphasized concerns about cumulative redevelopment pressure and whether the scale and design of the project fit the surrounding neighborhood. The Sweeten Creek proposal ultimately passed later in the meeting despite similar concerns being raised about access routes, road width, sidewalk limitations, and neighborhood compatibility. Although there were many overlapping community concerns about these two projects, stopping the Caribou Road project seemed more urgent to residents than addressing the Sweeten Creek proposal – the former yielded 26 public comment sigh-ups, where the latter yielded none.

Original Summary: The City should reject or substantially revise the proposed Caribou Road and Sweeten Creek developments because the Shiloh Community Association argues the projects conflict with the adopted Shiloh Community Plan, exceed infrastructure capacity, and threaten the long-term stability and character of the neighborhood.

The Facts: City Council is considering two major affordable housing developments connected to the Shiloh area:

• Caribou Road – approximately 100 affordable housing units
• Sweeten Creek Road – approximately 126 affordable housing units

Both projects are being advanced as tax-credit affordable housing developments.  

At the Planning & Zoning Commission meeting, City staff acknowledged significant community concern related to infrastructure, traffic safety, pedestrian conditions, environmental impacts, and neighborhood compatibility.

You can read the Caribou development staff report here and see the presentation slides here. You can read the Sweeten Creek development staff report here and see the presentation slides here.

Our Assessment: Affordable housing is urgently needed in Asheville. But affordable housing alone does not automatically equal anti-displacement policy or community-centered development.

The Shiloh Community Association has formally opposed both proposals, stating that they are inconsistent with both the Shiloh Community Plan 2025 and the Living Asheville Comprehensive Plan. In its letter to City officials, the association raised concerns including:

• incompatibility with existing neighborhood character and scale
• insufficient infrastructure capacity
• traffic and pedestrian safety risks
• lack of sidewalks and traffic calming
• environmental impacts and loss of green space
• cumulative redevelopment pressure
• encroachment of higher-intensity development into residential areas
  

The association also emphasized that the Shiloh Community Plan specifically calls for development that is “compatible and sensitive to sustainable development” and generally consistent with the neighborhood’s existing residential character.

These concerns are significant because they are grounded not simply in opposition to growth, but in adopted neighborhood planning documents developed through years of collaboration between residents and the City itself.

Shiloh is a historic Black neighborhood that has already experienced decades of redevelopment pressure, infrastructure strain, and displacement concerns. Many residents view these proposals as examples of development happening to the neighborhood rather than with it.

The City should not move forward with projects of this scale without first addressing infrastructure readiness, pedestrian safety, environmental impacts, and meaningful neighborhood alignment. At minimum, these projects require substantial revision and deeper community engagement.

The Ask: We invited you to join us in urging City Council to honor the Shiloh Community Plan and reject or substantially revise the Caribou Road and Sweeten Creek proposals.

Report Back

See summary above for more details.

Caribou Road – 7-0 opposed to rezoning
Sweeten Creek – 7-0 in favor of rezoning

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