City details $15.5 million CDBG‑DR small‑business awards; applications expected spring or summer 2026

Elma King, CDBG‑DR program manager for Asheville City, told the Planning, Economic Development, and Environment Committee that in January the city council approved awards totaling $15.5 million to four subrecipients to run small‑business recovery programs.

"In January, city council has approved awards totaling 15.5 million to four subreients, Mountain Biz Works, Arts ABL, Eagle Market Streets, and Venture Asheville," King said, adding that staff and the subrecipients are working to finalize program specifics and required documentation.

The city is using federal Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG‑DR) funds. King said staff must build project manuals, underwriting and monitoring processes, and clear eligibility definitions before opening applications so the program meets federal compliance and oversight requirements. She emphasized that, under CDBG‑DR rules, awards are tied to job creation requirements and that subrecipients must document business viability and anticipated job outcomes as part of eligibility reviews.

King advised business owners to begin assembling the documentation that will be required when applications open: W‑2s and tax statements, profit‑and‑loss records, proof of business ownership and dates of operation, and federal identifiers such as UEI and NAICS codes. A one‑page readiness guide referenced in the presentation is available on ashevillerecovers.org.

Council members pressed staff on two common sources of delay. Councilwoman Kim Rooney asked which compliance issues were causing the timeline to slip. King said the largest hurdles are finalizing project manuals for each subrecipient, defining an airtight "principal place of business" standard (for example, whether market‑booth vendors or businesses that opened after Tropical Storm Helen qualify), and creating robust duplication‑of‑benefits checks for SBA loans and other assistance.

King said subrecipients may take different, allowable paths when setting eligibility (for example, limiting assistance to businesses that were operating at the time of Tropical Storm Helen versus allowing later openings in sectors identified as disproportionately impacted). That variability is why staff are writing clear subrecipient project manuals and coordinating across the four subrecipients so businesses are directed to the most appropriate program.

King told the committee staff expects to return to the committee with more updates in April and reiterated that no official application opening date has been set, though staff anticipate launching programs and accepting applications in spring or summer 2026.

The committee did not take further action on the item; staff will continue finalizing subrecipient agreements and compliance materials.