Summary: We asked the Asheville City Council to push for an impactful number of affordable housing units before approving this rezoning request. Two (out of 84 total) were set aside to be affordable. They voted 5-1 (Roney opposed) to approve the request.

The Facts: (Originally posted 7/22/24) Developers are asking the Asheville City Council to rezone a land parcel at 767 Haw Creek Rd from “Residential Single-Family Medium Density District” to “Residential Expansion – Conditional Zone” so they can move forward with a project that will include 84 new residential units. There is currently no plan to offer any affordable housing units on the property.

Sources: Staff Memo, Presentation

Our Assessment: As we successfully argued with a similar rezoning request last month, the City Council has the power to set conditions for this kind of rezoning, and we’d like to see them push these developers to explore the possibility of offering at least some meaningfully-affordable housing units for this project. Given how starved our region is for affordable housing, we don’t think the City should be green-lighting any projects that don’t offer to address this important responsibility, especially if it is committed to racial equity – the lack of affordable housing in our region disproportionately affects Asheville’s Black residents. Without the offer of any meaningfully-affordable units, this project can be expected to exacerbate racial inequities in housing in our region.

Our Ask: Email the Asheville City Council and encourage them to use their power to set conditions for rezoning requests like this, and insist that some of the proposed units in this development be offered at affordable rates.

Report Back

They added a condition that two of the units would be turned over to Habitat for Humanity or a similar org so that they could be offered as an affordable home ownership opportunity. This is a very tiny concession toward affordability for a project with 84 homes. The City Council voted 5-1 (Roney opposed) to approve it. 

GAP Supporter Actions Taken: 8

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: No response
• City Council Member Maggie Ullman: No response
• City Council Member Sage Turner: No response
• City Council Member Sheneika Smith: No response