Asheville staff outline year-long anti-displacement, affordable housing project with pilot tool and $8M in funding

City staff presented a coordinated anti‑displacement and affordable housing project to the Asheville City Council during a March 19 agenda briefing, outlining a March–December timeline that pairs housing production recommendations with tools meant to reduce displacement in high‑risk neighborhoods.

"The anti‑displacement and affordable housing project aims to pair new housing production with anti‑displacement protection," Communications and Public Engagement Director Dawa Hitch told council as she introduced the project, which draws on the Missing Middle housing study, a displacement risk assessment and the Affordable Housing Plan.

Assistant City Manager Ben Woody said staff intend to move several regulatory changes forward relatively quickly and to pilot a displacement‑vulnerability tool in August, with the tool finalized by November. "We intend to continue to iterate and apply the tools as projects come about," Woody said, adding that staff would bring early missing‑middle regulatory changes to council for consideration in the spring and provide another touch point in November for more complex revisions.

Staff identified three near‑term regulatory actions they consider ready for fast consideration: eliminating minimum parking requirements in affected districts, expanding accessory dwelling unit (ADU) size limits, and allowing duplexes in all zoning districts. Woody said other, more complex changes (for example, larger multifamily types and small backyard lot rules) would likely be considered later or as part of a unified development ordinance rewrite.

The presentation also included programmatic commitments. Staff said the city anticipates roughly $2 million from the Housing Trust Fund for targeted interventions, about $5 million expected through the "Right at Home" Continuum of Care funding stream, and roughly $1 million to launch a homeowner repair program, for more than $8 million in resources intended to support down‑payment assistance, community land trust efforts, land acquisition, and home repair grants.

Council members repeatedly emphasized urgency and asked for clear metrics and a consolidated implementation table. Council Member Sage Turner asked whether the displacement tool would capture multiple displacement forms (housing, economic, cultural) and noted that having a "both/and" (build more housing while protecting existing residents) analysis would be important; Woody said the Missing Middle study principally focuses on housing displacement but staff can explore additional indicators and data sets.

Several council members praised the Legacy Neighborhoods Coalition and asked staff to make that coalition a required engagement partner for projects affecting legacy neighborhoods. Staff said early engagement will inform drafts and that staff will return with follow‑up materials, including implementation lists and measurable metrics.

Ben Woody said staff plan to issue Notices of Funding Opportunities this summer for some programs and to pilot mitigation approaches in August, while bringing regulatory items forward to council in the spring and again in November. Dawa Hitch said authentic, inclusive engagement and transparent reporting back on how input shaped policy would be central to the work.

Next steps: staff will share a concise implementation table and follow‑up materials at council request, prepare NOFOs for summer program funding, launch the August pilot of the displacement tool, and return to council for decision and adoption steps as mapped in the timeline.