Summary: Council will consider a Sweeten Creek Road apartment development whose conditions designate every unit as affordable to households at or below 80% AMI for at least 20 years. That sounds promising, but the presentation does not provide the total unit count, rents, bedroom mix, income distribution, utility costs, or number of homes serving households below 30%, 50%, or 60% AMI.

The Facts: The applicant seeks conditional rezoning from Residential Multi-Family High Density to Residential Expansion–Conditional Zone. The project includes internal sidewalks and pedestrian improvements along Sweeten Creek Road. Planning and Zoning recommended approval 6–1, and staff recommends approval.

Our Assessment: We are marking this “questionable” because a 100% affordability commitment is valuable, but an 80% AMI ceiling could allow every unit to be priced beyond the reach of Asheville’s lowest-income residents. Twenty years is also short compared with the permanent development rights granted by rezoning. Council should require a deeper income mix, longer affordability, enforceable monitoring, voucher acceptance, and protections for tenants when restrictions expire.

Things to do: Residents who contact City Council (AshevilleNCCouncil@ashevillenc.gov) may wish to emphasize:

• The commitment to make 100% of the apartments affordable is valuable, but “at or below 80% AMI” does not guarantee housing for residents with the greatest needs, who are disproportionately residents of color.
• Council should require a meaningful share of units for households below 30%, 50%, and 60% AMI: mixed-income development supports long-term mobility.
• The affordability period should be longer than 20 years, because the rezoning permanently increases the property owner’s development rights.
• Before voting, Council should obtain clear information about the total number of units, proposed rents, bedroom mix, utility costs, voucher acceptance, and enforcement of the affordability requirements.
• Council should ensure that current and future tenants are protected when the affordability protection approaches expiration.
  

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