Pursuing Affordable Housing on County-Owned Sites
Buncombe County seeks your input on the development of affordable housing on three underutilized County-owned properties in Downtown Asheville and the Erwin Hills area.
In March 2023, following the results of an initial evaluation of multiple properties, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners prioritized three sites for potential development of affordable housing: 30-80 Valley Street, 50-52 Coxe Avenue, and 180 Erwin Hills Road (portion).
With the potential sites selected, the County invites community members and neighbors to participate in a series of community meetings to help determine the future of these affordable housing developments.
The community meetings will help the County and DFI understand the specific public interests for each site and the context of their individual neighborhoods.
For example:
- Should the units serve specific populations?
- Is the goal to maximize number of units on the site even if the cost increases? Or should the development maximize units without substantially increasing cost?
- How should this building relate to the space around it?
- Are there preferred ground-floor uses for Coxe Avenue that may differ for Erwin Hills?
The County and DFI will then work with an architect to develop plans that meet the guiding public interests and are achievable within the physical and regulatory constraints of each site. DFI will evaluate the financial feasibility of each plan and identify how the County would need to participate in order to facilitate the private development of affordable housing and other community-defined uses.
At the end of this process, the County will partner with qualified private developers whose plans will meet both community and private sector interests.
Learn more about the potential sites, project details, and get involved by visiting publicinput.com/affordablehousingdevelopment.
