Asheville to host Urban Land Institute technical assistance panel to advise long‑term recovery and river corridor resilience

The City of Asheville will host a week‑long technical assistance panel from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to advise long‑term recovery planning and river‑corridor revitalization, city staff told council June 5.

Assistant City Manager Ben Woody said the Charlotte ULI chapter is sponsoring the panel and the National ULI Advisory Service will bring national experts on disaster recovery funding, urban design, infill development, climate adaptation and hazard resilience. Woody said the panel will help align recovery work with economic mobility, workforce adaptability and business diversification in flood‑affected corridors.

Woody said the panel typically meets for a week in person, conducts public engagement and stakeholder meetings, and concludes with a public presentation and a published set of recommendations. He said staff expect a public presentation on Friday, Aug. 1, and that the panel’s findings will produce a document Asheville can use to guide recovery and policy decisions. Steph Munson Dahl, planning director, said she was impressed with ULI’s commitment to inclusive engagement and the national experts recruited for the panel.

Woody and Deborah Campbell said the panel’s recommendations will inform the city’s long‑term recovery plan, complement interjurisdictional recovery coordination across Buncombe County, and provide guidance for future use of city tools, funding and policies. Staff said they will publish more details on engagement events and panel membership as the schedule is finalized and thanked the Charlotte chapter for sponsoring the panel recruitment.

The council did not take action at the briefing. Staff said the panel will hold public engagement events while on‑site and will present findings to the public at the conclusion of the week‑long visit.