County Commission Agenda – New Business: Resolution Establishing a General Obligation Bonds Community Oversight Committee

This is a proposal to set up an Oversight Committee for two bonds passed earlier this year totalling $70 million. The Committee would have five members: “one person with an accounting background, one person with a banking background, one representative of the affordable housing community, one representative from the conservation/ greenways community each to be appointed by this Board, and one member to be appointed by the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.”

We think an Oversight Committee is a good idea, but are troubled that only one of the members is from the affordable housing community, when much of this bond package is concerned with providing affordable housing. We think the size of the committee needs to be expanded and there needs to be language inserted, requiring significant representation from communities with a history of adverse housing bias due to racism.

County Commission Agenda – Presentation: Strategic Partnership Grants Committee

This committee makes recommendations for the County’s Strategic Partnership Grant Program, now in its third year.

Award amounts are substantial, and the goals of the program are sound. However, there is no quantitative analysis of grant awards based on an equity lens, and so impossible to know what percentage of the grant funds are awarded to Black-led organizations or serve those communities.

County Commission Agenda – Public Hearing: Community Development Block Grant – Neighborhood Revitalization (Resolution, Citizen Participation Plan, Presentation)

These block grants are federal funds awarded to the State through US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) designed to promote equitable, affordable housing, support existing communities; and/or value communities and neighborhoods.

These grants have been historically awarded to predominantly white organizations. The County has a public engagement plan, but it’s unclear to us how organizations led by Black people and other people of color will be encouraged and/or supported in applying for this funding.

Asheville Housing and Community Development Committee Meeting: Affordable Housing Proposal from Mountain Housing Opportunities – August 16, 2022 at 10 am

The Committee will hear a request for $850,000 for the development of Restaurant Court, a Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) development of rental apartments.

There are several features of this proposal that we strongly endorse:

• It reserves units for youth aging out of foster care
• The developer is a non-profit, and all of the units will be prices at 60% of Area Median Income (AMI) and below.

We appreciate the leadership of Council Member Antanette Mosley in pushing for this initiative and hope to see Vice-Mayor Sheneika Smith and Council Member Sage Turner join her in voting for this initiative to be brought to the full Asheville City Council for approval.