Background

In the 2008, the Affordable housing Plan was created by the Mayor’s Taskforce on Affordable Housing. The Plan was then updated in 2015. Additionally, every five years, City staff works with the Housing Consortium to write a Consolidated Plan which has goals and strategies to be used for federal funding. In 2022, it became clear that the City and community needed an updated plan to guide use of local funds and resources including the Housing Trust Fund, Land Use Incentive Grants and Bond dollars.  The updated plan will also help the city plan for any future bond programs, and outline funding priorities for partnerships with other institutions (Buncombe County, Dogwood Health Trust). 

The new Affordable Housing Plan: 

  • Includes an updated housing needs assessment, which is imperative given the changes in the market and demographic shifts during the pandemic. 

  • Recommends a set of priorities for programming, funding, and new policy directions 

  • Brings together stakeholders, advocates, and community members, engaging them to build a foundation for the plan and the future direction of affordable housing in the city. 

  • Communicates to developers, both nonprofit and for-profit, what the city is looking to achieve. 

  • Makes recommendations for program changes in existing programs (Housing Trust Fund,  Land Use Incentive Program)

  • Builds a foundation for a future affordable housing bond. 

Documents