Affordable Housing Proves Too Costly – Again

As Asheville City Council continues to seek ways to build affordable housing on prime real estate downtown, they could not bring themselves to approve another proposal. Like others, its proposed means of paying for the subsidies were too out-of-scale and otherwise nonconforming with council's other visions.

New Bill Would Limit What Weaverville Can Do About STRs

A bill in the North Carolina Senate could make any attempt by the Weaverville Town Council to limit whole-house short-term rentals (STR) an ineffective effort. It could also end STR bans in other North Carolina towns and cities like Asheville.

Group’s Leader Questions Reliable Yield Study

The town council recently voted 5-2 to begin the expansion of their 1.5 million gallons per day (MGD) to three MGD at a cost of about $13 million. However, James Heinl of Save Ivy River is questioning a CDM Smith reliable yield study that the council used to support expanding the plant.

Council Coming After Whole House STRs in Weaverville?

According to Wood's data, STRs have gone from making up 1.8% of the town's total housing stock in 2020 to 3.7% in 2023, going on to describe how they take away from the feel of the community, reduce the housing stock, increase prices, and exclude real families from living in the neighborhoods.

Council Rejects Hilliard & Clingman Housing Project

Asheville City Council, for all its interest in creatively spending public dollars to create affordable housing, rejected a proposal that would have, without subsidy, rent-controlled nine affordable units for 20 years.

Asheville One of the “Worst Places to Live”

NPR’s Planet Money cited the city as one of the least affordable in the country. 

Asheville Approves Mixed-Use Project

Mixed-use condominiums and apartments are greenlit for development in Downtown Asheville.

Asheville Gov’t Enters High-Roller Real Estate

Asheville City Council approved payment for due diligence on a 42-45-unit apartment building that will rent-control half its units for persons earning no more than 30% of AMI. It was assumed the city, county, and Dogwood Health Trust would pitch in $2 million each for the $8.3 million project later.

High Prices, Love the Housing

Asheville City Council went ahead and approved its new Urban Place Form Code District, which would require Ingles to build housing units should it ever need to renovate some of its properties. This is what a handful of developers and their legal representatives had to say.

Council Doubles Down in War on Economics

The government mandating prices to be anything else introduces intentional market distortions, which have the unintended consequence of misallocating resources.