Planning, Economic Development and Environment Committee (Virtual) (Oct 21, 2025)

On October 21, 2025, the City of Asheville’s Planning, Economic Development and Environment Committee held a virtual meeting to review the city’s economic recovery efforts and sustainability goals in the wake of Hurricane Helene. The session focused primarily on information sharing and data-driven decision-making, with a strong emphasis on tracking progress toward established municipal objectives.

The committee approved the minutes from the September 16, 2025 meeting. Following this procedural action, staff and presenters provided updates on several key initiatives. Rachel Taylor and Chris Corl presented a quarterly data report on the economy, highlighting that unemployment remains above pre-storm levels and noting a contraction in the leisure and hospitality sector. They also reported increased usage of city-owned event facilities.

Regarding the Small Business Support Program under the CDBG-DR initiative, James Shelton and Elma King detailed the implementation of a $17 million program designed to help small businesses recover. The presenters emphasized a focus on performance-based grants rather than loans and noted collaboration with NCDOT. Staff indicated that a Notice of Funding Opportunity would be released in October 2025, with the committee scheduled to review and recommend subrecipients in January 2026 for a final vote by City Council.

The committee also reviewed the Burton Street Neighborhood Plan Implementation, a plan adopted in 2018 to mitigate impacts from the I-26 Connector Project. Staff presented a draft report tracking progress on strategies such as sidewalk improvements, stormwater infrastructure, and parking regulations. The report categorizes current efforts as completed, ongoing, or in-progress, with staff noting that the implementation report will be updated one to two times per year and shared publicly.

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to the Mitigation & Municipal Climate Action Plan (MCAP). Kira Bulan and Bridget Herring presented an update on the city’s sustainability goals, acknowledging that carbon emission reduction targets have not been met since 2018. The discussion centered on leveraging federal recovery funding from FEMA, HMGP, and CDBG-DR to advance these goals. Committee members raised concerns about current staff workload and the need for increased capacity within the sustainability department to effectively address these challenges. They also expressed a desire for more detailed and accessible data to track progress toward the MCAP’s six performance measures.

During the public comment period, a caller from Sunrise Movement WNC advocated for broader community engagement and more detailed data tracking to address sustainability challenges beyond just city government operations. The transcript summary does not record specific responses from committee members to this comment.

The meeting concluded with the postponement of the final agenda item related to the MCAP until the following month. Additionally, staff presented the initial two-month work plans for the Economy and People & Environment Recovery Boards, which are temporary bodies established to advise City Council on recovery priorities until June 30, 2027. These plans outline upcoming topics such as CDBG-DR education, resilience hub mapping, and the Urban Forest Master Plan.