Summary: Three items on this week’s Buncombe County Commission agenda show how routine government decisions can influence housing costs and neighborhood change, and why the County needs a clear anti-displacement policy.

The Facts: The Buncombe County Commission will consider several agenda items this week involving major public investments and land use decisions.

• $145 Million County Bond Issuance: Commissioners are being asked to approve the issuance of approximately $145 million in general obligation bonds that voters authorized in the 2024 bond referendum. These bonds will finance a range of capital projects, including school facilities, affordable housing investments, parks, and other public infrastructure. County staff recommend approving the bond issuance so the County can move forward with these projects.
• Fire District Consolidation: The Commission will consider a proposal to consolidate several local fire districts into a single countywide district. The change is intended to improve service coordination and financial stability among departments while standardizing the property tax structure used to fund fire protection services. Staff recommend approval of the consolidation plan.
• Conservation Easement Approval: Commissioners will also consider approving a conservation easement on privately owned land that would permanently restrict development in order to preserve farmland, open space, and environmental resources. Conservation easements are a common tool used by counties to protect environmentally significant land and rural landscapes. Staff recommend approval of the easement.

The full agenda packet can be found here.

Our Assessment: These three agenda items involve very different policy areas — public infrastructure financing, emergency services governance, and land conservation. But they illustrate a common issue: major public decisions often have ripple effects on housing affordability and neighborhood stability.

Public investments financed through large bond packages (like the $145 Million County Bond) can significantly increase the attractiveness and value of surrounding areas. Changes to service districts (like the Fire District Consolidation) can affect local tax structures and property values. Land conservation decisions (like the Conservation Easement) can shape where development pressures shift across the county. Each of these decisions may produce important community benefits, but they can also contribute to rising housing costs and displacement pressures if those impacts are not considered early in the process.

At present, Buncombe County does not have a consistent policy requiring staff or commissioners to evaluate these risks before major decisions are made. As a result, elected officials are often asked to approve investments and policy changes without a clear understanding of how those decisions could affect housing stability in nearby communities.

Decisions about large public investments and development opportunities can reshape neighborhoods for decades. Without clear policies to protect vulnerable residents, those decisions can unintentionally accelerate displacement.

Our Proposal:Buncombe County should adopt a comprehensive anti-displacement policy (such as the one proposed by GAPavl) that helps decision makers identify potential risks early and consider strategies to protect vulnerable residents.

Such a policy could include:

• Screening major public investments and development decisions for displacement risk
• Identifying neighborhoods most vulnerable to rising housing costs
• Developing mitigation strategies when risks are identified
• Ensuring community participation in decisions that affect neighborhood stability
  

Things to do: We invite you to join us in calling on the Buncombe County Commission to commit to developing a comprehensive anti-displacement policy.

Email Template: You can send an email to the Buncombe County Commission 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 – please cc: or bcc: info@gapavl.org on your individualized email, so we can better track how many emails were sent.

To: alfred.whitesides@buncombecounty.org, amanda.edwards@buncombecounty.org, drew.ball@buncombecounty.org, jennifer.horton@buncombecounty.org, martin.moore@buncombecounty.org, parker.sloan@buncombecounty.org, terri.wells@buncombecounty.org

CC: or BCC: info@gapavl.org

Subject: Major county decisions are being made without an anti-displacement policy

Dear Commissioners,

Several items on this week’s agenda highlight why Buncombe County needs a clear anti-displacement policy.

Decisions about infrastructure, land use, and public investment can unintentionally increase housing pressures in nearby neighborhoods. Without a consistent framework for identifying these risks, the County may move forward with important initiatives without fully understanding how they could affect housing stability for current residents.

Many cities and counties now conduct displacement risk assessments or equity impact reviews before major decisions are finalized.

I encourage the Commission to begin developing a Buncombe County anti-displacement policy so that future investments strengthen communities without unintentionally pushing vulnerable residents out.

Thank you for your leadership and consideration.

[Name]

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