The City of Asheville’s Department of Community and Economic Development has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the redevelopment of 319 Biltmore Ave. The redevelopment seeks to provide affordable/mixed income housing and commercial uses in an area near transit, jobs and services.
This site is part of the Affordable Housing Bond Initiative for high-impact sites.
Working with outside consultants, the City conducted site and financial feasibility studies in 2018 to assess the development opportunities at 319 Biltmore Ave. This work created conceptual plans for the 5.5-acre site. The final site plan will be based on community feedback, the physical constraints of the site and City objectives. This site is located adjacent to Lee Walker Heights, a 212-unit affordable housing redevelopment now under construction and managed by the Asheville Housing Authority and Mountain Housing Opportunities.
The City decided to pursue an RFP process in order to select the best developer to achieve the City’s affordable housing goals. The prospective developer must have experience with mixed income and mixed use properties of a similar scale in Asheville or other communities. Once a developer is selected, the City will enter into a development agreement and final plans will be created for the site.
Plans for the site will be created with additional community input before those plans are submitted for zoning approval. A conditional zoning approval will be needed for the site plan, as it will include more than 50 units of housing. City Council will have to authorize both the zoning and the final agreement with the developer.
The deadline to respond to the RFP is March 25. After all submissions are received, staff anticipates recommending a development partner to City Council in late summer of 2020. As part of the final agreement, the City could reduce the purchase price up to 100% as a subsidy to advance the development of affordable housing on site. When complete, at least 20% of all of the units built on 319 Biltmore must be set aside for low and moderate income individuals and families and complement the redevelopment Lee Walker Heights.
For more information on the redevelopment of 319 Biltmore Ave., or to review the full RFP, please visit the ashevillenc.gov/319biltmore.