Commissioners Commit $749K for Affordable Housing Project

Buncombe County -- Buncombe County Government Community News: February 22, 2022

The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners continue to pursue affordable housing opportunities with approval of a new project. On Feb. 1, Commissioners unanimously approved dedicating $749,000 for an affordable housing project on Haywood Street in downtown Asheville that should yield 45 apartments. This move comes on the heels of Commissioners hearing about recent community survey results that affirm the Board’s continued prioritization of this issue.

“I’m personally very excited about this project. It is permanent, deeply affordable housing,” said Commissioner Amanda Edwards. Piggybacking on her comment, Commissioner Whitesides noted, “This is hopefully the start of many permanently affordable projects… permanently affordable is what we need.”

The funding comes from part of Buncombe County’s ARPA money, which has been used for additional affordable housing projects. The City of Asheville and Dogwood Trust will also be contributing to this initiative. You can read more about the Haywood Street project here

If you would like to know more about Buncombe County's COVID Recovery Funding, click here.

Other ARPA-funded affordable housing projects

Days Inn: 85 permanent supportive housing units in East Asheville
Lakeshore Drive: 120 affordable apartments in Arden
Habitat for Humanity: 43 homeownership units in Arden and West Buncombe
Emergency Home Repair: Countywide effort
$7,545,231 committed as of Feb. 1