Government Accountability Project of Asheville

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• Buncombe County’s proposed revitalization initiatives and FY2027 budget lack meaningful anti-displacement safeguards (new)

• 0 Items

• 0 Items

• Asheville should reject or substantially revise the Caribou Road and Sweeten Creek developments in response to community concerns from Shiloh (updated – Resolved, positively and negatively)
• Asheville should reject the proposed RTIC/Axon surveillance expansion until real oversight and accountability exist (updated – Resolved, negatively)
• Asheville should move forward with the proposed CDBG-DR affordable housing investments (updated – Resolved, positively and negatively)

New Issue: Buncombe County’s proposed revitalization initiatives and FY2027 budget lack meaningful anti-displacement safeguards

Buncombe County is preparing to adopt its FY2027 budget while simultaneously advancing major post-Helene recovery, infrastructure, and redevelopment initiatives. These decisions will help shape the County’s physical and economic future for years to come — including where public investment is concentrated and which communities experience the pressures that often follow revitalization and growth.

We remain seriously concerned about a major gap in the County’s approach: the continued absence of any meaningful anti-displacement framework guiding recovery spending, capital investments, or corridor revitalization efforts. Although County leaders have repeatedly heard concerns about affordability and displacement, current budget and agenda materials still show little evidence of displacement-impact analysis, targeted protections for vulnerable communities, or long-term planning to ensure existing residents and businesses can remain and benefit from public investment. The current budget and agenda provide several examples of how the County could begin addressing this issue immediately. 

Report Backs

The May 12 Asheville City Council meeting produced mixed outcomes on the three issues highlighted in the May 11 GAP Report. 

Issue – Caribou Road and Sweeten Creek Developments: The best outcome from the meeting was the unanimous rejection of the Caribou Road development after extensive testimony from Shiloh-area residents and substantial discussion about traffic, pedestrian safety, infrastructure limitations, and consistency with the adopted Shiloh Community Plan. Unfortunately, the Sweeten Creek proposal passed, despite generating many of the same concerns from residents regarding traffic access, neighborhood safety, and compatibility with surrounding residential streets.    

Issue – RTIC/Axon Surveillance Expansion: On the surveillance issue, the RTIC/Axon/Fusus proposal passed 6-1 (Roney opposed) despite concerns about accountability, transparency, civil liberties, and long-term oversight. Multiple speakers criticized the lack of public process and warned about the risks of expanded surveillance systems and data-sharing infrastructure.  

Issue – Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Affordable Housing Investments: Meanwhile, two of the CDBG-DR affordable housing investments moved forward, while a third – the strongest proposal – was rejected. City Council appears reluctant to commit these funds to multifamily affordable housing in light of ongoing concerns that there won’t be enough resources to support single family home repair and reconstruction. We see a way to support both, and will post about that soon.

Take action with us:

• Email the County Commission about revising their revitalization initiative and budget based on an anti-displacement analysis.

Resources:

• Click here to read our full proposed anti-displacement policy proposal.