Public land should create the greatest possible public benefit (new)

Overall, we view this as a promising proposal and an example of the City using public resources to address the housing crisis. At the same time, important questions remain about whether the project’s affordability levels are aligned with the residents most vulnerable to displacement. Before transferring public land and investing public housing dollars, Council should clearly demonstrate that it has evaluated opportunities for deeper affordability and explain why the proposed affordability mix represents the greatest achievable public benefit.

Asheville should support both affordable housing construction and home repair (City Council votes on Tuesday)

GAP continues to advocate for transparency from Renew NC before the City commits significant CDBG-DR funds.. While that item is not the focus of this week’s report, we continue to have serious concerns about the proposal to move recovery funds away from multifamily housing and infrastructure and into the Renew NC program without sufficient public information about expected outcomes. City Council will vote on this issue on Tuesday, June 23rd.

The City’s anti-displacement work is beginning to take shape (new)

Council will receive its most substantial public update to date on the Anti-Displacement and Affordable Housing Project at the Policy, Finance and Infrastructure meeting this Tuesday. The presentation confirms that staff are moving forward with development of a displacement risk assessment tool, preparing an anti-displacement resolution for Council consideration, and identifying mitigation strategies that could be incorporated into future City decision-making. These developments represent meaningful progress toward many of the goals community advocates have been advancing over the past year.

While significant questions remain about implementation, metrics, accountability, and how these tools will ultimately influence decisions, the City’s work is beginning to move from concept to execution. We are particularly encouraged by plans to pilot a public displacement risk assessment tool this fall and by the City’s commitment to developing a formal anti-displacement resolution.

The City is taking time to understand data center impacts before moving forward (new)

Council will consider a one-year moratorium on new data centers while staff develop regulations for that emerging industry. This strikes us as a wise course of action.

Additional housing on vacant land can be part of the solution (new)

Council will consider a rezoning proposal on Deaverview Road that would allow additional housing on a vacant site. This seems like a good move, since Asheville needs additional housing, and vacant sites are often among the most appropriate locations for increasing supply.

Buncombe County still won’t answer questions about displacement (updated)

Buncombe County leaders have begun responding publicly to GAP’s call for a countywide anti-displacement strategy. We recently received responses from Commission Chair Amanda Edwards and Commissioner Terri Wells, and County staff devoted substantial time during last week’s briefing to discussing existing housing and displacement-related efforts. We appreciate the engagement. Next week’s report will take a closer look at what the County is already doing, where we believe important gaps remain, and what a comprehensive anti-displacement strategy could look like.