In March, City of Asheville staff will once again engage neighborhoods in the development of three small neighborhood lots on West Chestnut Street, Lufty Avenue, and Kentucky Drive for affordable housing.
Several weeks ago, finalists were named for the Neighborhood Lots for Affordable Housing Request for Proposals (RFP) process to develop the lots. The finalists are Asheville-Buncombe Community Land Trust (ABCLT) and the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity. Asheville-Buncombe Community Land Trust proposes to build and sell affordable single-family homes on both the Lufty Avenue and West Chestnut Street lots. Habitat for Humanity’s proposal is also for homeownership, with four affordable townhomes on Kentucky Drive. It was particularly important to the City staff selection committee to choose proposals that offered stable, long-term affordability and homeownership, and were the best possible fit with the surrounding neighborhoods.
Finalists being named is only one step of the process. The finalists will need to conduct due diligence and neighborhood engagement as well as receive Council approval before the property can be transferred to them for development.
Neighborhood engagement meetings will begin in the last week of March where the developers can meet with neighbors and discuss their proposals in detail, as well as hear concerns and incorporate what they can into their development process. Each property will have its own meeting, and City staff will reach out to the neighbors of those properties two weeks in advance of those meetings.
Upcoming next steps tentatively include:
- Beginning the week of March 28: Community outreach and neighborhood engagement sessions with Asheville-Buncombe Community Land Trust and Habitat for Humanity.
- April 20: Presentation of proposals to the Housing and Community Development Committee.
- May 11: City Council will vote on whether to accept the winning proposals.
You can continue to stay updated on the process on the City’s Neighborhood Lots for Affordable Housing webpage.