Asheville staff to seek council authorization to submit CDBG-DR action plan; previews grouped recovery projects and 5-year CIP

Mayor Esther Mannheimer on April 3 opened the Asheville City Council agenda briefing and staff used the session to preview an item on the April 8 meeting asking the council to authorize submission of a Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery action plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Why it matters: The CDBG-DR plan and related FEMA Public Assistance work are the primary near-term funding pathways staff said will pay for repairing and rebuilding infrastructure damaged by the recent hurricane and tropical storm. Staff said they will present grouped recovery projects and a five‑year capital improvement program (CIP) at a budget work session on April 8 so council and the public can see how recovery projects and bond-funded work could be coordinated.

Jay Dundas, interim assistant city manager, told council the April 8 budget work session “will include, the, a review of the capital, budget, moving forward, which also will focus on, as I'll get into a little bit later, bond and recovery, focus projects.” Dundas said staff has been grouping recovery projects to make them more manageable and is preparing a five‑year CIP while continuing work on a longer 10‑year plan. “So we we've worked on we have been working on a 10 year CIP. This has been an effort that's been going on for almost a year now,” Dundas said.

Staff and council discussed funding sources and sequencing. Dundas and other staff clarified that much of the initial funding for repairing infrastructure damaged by the storm is expected to come through FEMA Public Assistance (PA) and that details such as scope and cost estimates remain under development as staff completes damage assessments and scope development with FEMA. Dundas said those estimates will inform timelines and budgets in future CIP updates.

Council members pressed staff for clarity about what happens after submission to HUD. One council member asked whether HUD approval is likely to be fast or slow; staff acknowledged that HUD approval timelines are uncertain. A council member characterized the HUD review as “a 3 to 9 month window of waiting” before implementation would begin, and staff said they will schedule briefings to explain next steps once the plan is in HUD’s hands.

Nikki Reed, a staff member working on the plan, said public input is being captured and will be included with the plan. “From what I understand, all of the public comment will be incorporated into the plan as an appendix,” Reed said, and staff will include responses that explain how comments were addressed or where the plan moves in a different direction.

Council members also asked about the municipal golf course, which has appeared on project lists. Dundas said the golf course RFQ represents one of the larger recovery projects that has reached the milestone of being ready to move forward, but that it “does not represent the first in priority.” He and other staff noted the golf course generates revenue for the city and the RFQ reflects that project’s readiness, not a prioritization above other storm‑damaged assets. Dundas listed other complex recovery projects that will be part of the grouped work, including damage to Carrier Park and French Broad River Park and a municipal building re‑roof currently underway.

Staff said they will present grouped project lists and the CIP details at the April 8 budget work session; estimates and timelines for many recovery efforts will be developed later as FEMA scope and cost assessments are finalized. No formal council action on the CDBG‑DR plan or recovery funding was taken at the April 3 briefing; the authorization to submit the plan is scheduled for the April 8 meeting.

Tangible next steps: staff will present grouped recovery projects, a five‑year CIP and bond coordination at the April 8 budget work session; the CDBG‑DR action plan is scheduled for council authorization to submit to HUD at that meeting.