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City seeks HUD approval for $225 million disaster‑recovery action plan after broad public input
Summary
City staff asked council to authorize submission of a $225,010,000 Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG‑DR) action plan to HUD. The plan allocates funds toward infrastructure, housing and economic recovery after Tropical Storm Helene and will be adjusted during implementation as HUD and state guidance require.
City staff asked the Asheville City Council to authorize submission of a $225,010,000 Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG‑DR) action plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for review and approval.
Staff member James Shelton, who led the presentation, told council the plan is the product of a community engagement process that generated more than 350 public comments during a 30‑day public comment period and multiple feedback sessions. "This has been the most collaborative effort I have ever been a part of," Shelton said, and he described changes made to the draft plan in response to public input.
The draft plan allocates the city’s direct CDBG‑DR award roughly as follows: about $125 million for infrastructure, $52 million for economic revitalization, and about $31 million for housing, with additional funding for public services, planning and mitigation. Shelton said staff reallocated $5 million from infrastructure — $2 million to small business support, $1 million to planning, and $2 million to multifamily construction — after public comment emphasized those needs. He also said the plan includes a roughly $29 million mitigation set‑aside to support resilience work woven through housing, infrastructure and economic projects.
Shelton said HUD will have up to 45 days to review the plan and request changes; staff expect to receive a grant agreement this summer and begin implementation later this year. He told council the city coordinated with the State of North Carolina’s larger CDBG‑DR program and intends to partner with the state for homeowner rehabilitation and reconstruction programs in the city.
Council members and public commenters praised the community engagement process and urged the city to prioritize climate resilience, deeper housing affordability and staffing for implementation. Rachel Cohen of Sunrise Movement WNC urged the city to require new housing built with grant funds to include onsite renewable generation and storage and to use the funds to expand electric transit. Other commenters raised food security, small‑business access and resilience hubs as priorities.
Council voted to authorize staff to submit the action plan to HUD for review and approval. Shelton and staff cautioned the document before council is the beginning of the implementation process and that the plan will be amended and shaped as the city and partners begin project selection and contract work.
