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Legacy Neighborhoods Coalition urges data-driven anti-displacement package for Asheville
Summary
Sekou Coleman of the Legacy Neighborhoods Coalition presented six priorities including preservation districts, displacement impact reviews, targeted CDBG and capital prioritization, formal engagement triggers, earlier notifications with plain-language summaries, and legacy public art commitments.
Sekou Coleman, speaking for the Legacy Neighborhoods Coalition, told the Housing and Community Development Committee on Jan. 20 that Asheville should adopt an integrated, data‑driven approach to prevent displacement in historically Black and long‑standing neighborhoods. "Asheville's legacy neighborhoods hold deep historical, cultural, and economic significance for our city," Coleman said, and outlined six priorities he said should act as an “ecosystem,” not as stand‑alone items.
Coleman asked the city to pursue preservation districts with boundaries defined in partnership with residents and supported by GIS, permit and census data so standards are defensible and reflect historic footprints. He proposed a displacement impact review — described as an index or dashboard — to assess project impacts on transportation, property tax pressures, land loss and social and cultural displacement and to make those projections visible to staff, applicants, the Legacy Neighborhoods Coalition and council. Coleman said the tool should inform decisions rather than automatically block projects, noting legal constraints on stopping projects outright.
He also urged targeted use of HUD and city capital dollars to stabilize legacy neighborhoods, recommending rubrics and a navigator program to help community groups access reimbursable funding. On notifications, Coleman proposed a two‑stage system: an automatic early alert when an application is filed and a later plain‑language summary after staff review; he said vetted AI tools could help produce consistent summaries.
On cultural preservation, Coleman recommended tying capital projects to legacy public art and history commitments and exploring alignment with the African American Heritage Commission to avoid erasure of neighborhood heritage. "This is an opportunity for Asheville to choose a different legacy for the next hundred years," he said.
Council members pressed Coleman on boundary definitions and notification triggers. Councilwoman Shanika Smith asked whether citywide changes or only changes within preservation‑district boundaries should trigger alerts; Coleman and Assistant City Manager Ben Woody said different boundary layers (neighborhood association maps, overlays used for notification) may be needed for different purposes and that staff will examine data to propose workable triggers.
The Legacy Neighborhoods Coalition plans a retreat at the end of January and a staff check‑in in early February to refine priorities, definitions and outcomes. Chair Antoinette Mosley and staff indicated interest in joining the early February check‑in and thanked Coleman for the presentation. The committee did not take formal action but directed staff discussion and follow‑up.
