Affordable Housing Committee Meeting

Affordable Housing Committee Meeting Recap: May 6, 2025

The Buncombe County Affordable Housing Committee held its regular meeting on May 6, 2025. The session focused on reviewing quarterly program updates, adopting revised bylaws to reflect changes in the committee’s composition, and adjusting the authority levels within the Affordable Housing Services Program (AHSP) guidelines.

Key Decisions

The committee took three formal votes during the meeting, all of which passed with a 3-0 tally:

• Minutes Approval: The committee approved the minutes from the April 1, 2025 meeting.
• Subcommittee Bylaws: The committee adopted revised bylaws for the Affordable Housing Subcommittee. These revisions officially rename the body from a "Committee" to a "Subcommittee," account for the addition of two resident members alongside three commissioner members, and include a provision limiting non-elected officials to serving on no more than two county boards.
• AHSP Guidelines: The committee voted to recommend revisions to the Affordable Housing Services Program Guidelines. This change shifts the authority for final decisions on funding allocations, contract terms, loan interest rates, and loan deferrals from the subcommittee to the full Board of Commissioners. The subcommittee will now only make recommendations on these items.

Discussion Highlights

Staff provided three primary updates to the committee, which were presented without recorded action:

ARPA FRF Home Repair Program Nancy Williams, Community Development Division Manager, presented a quarterly update on the $400,000 ARPA-FRF Home Repair program, which runs through June 2025. The program supports home repairs for low- and moderate-income homeowners.

• Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity: Completed its goal of 22 home repairs and has fully expended its $280,000 award.
• Mountain Housing Opportunities: Completed 7 repairs with one in progress, exceeding its original goal of 4 homes. The organization has $12,707.42 remaining in its $120,000 award. The project is on schedule to close out in June 2025.

CDBG-NR Program Staff provided an update on the $400,000 Community Development Block Grant – Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG-NR) funds awarded by the North Carolina Department of Commerce. The contract with Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, the initial sub-recipient, has been terminated because the organization was severely impacted by Hurricane Helene and shifted its focus to emergency recovery repairs. Staff are currently in discussions with the North Carolina Department of Commerce regarding potential uses for the remaining CDBG-NR funding to support Helene recovery efforts.

AHSP Quarterly Progress Report Jake Ekberg, Grants Manager, presented a report on the committee’s progress toward its 2030 affordable housing goals.

• FY 2024 Performance: The committee exceeded its goal for households impacted in Fiscal Year 2024, assisting 403 households against an anticipated 280.
• Construction Projects: Significant progress was noted on the Fairhaven Summit and Lakeshore Villas construction loan projects.
• Unallocated Funds: The report highlighted a $379,787 unallocated balance resulting from a previous commitment to WTT (Lofts at Swannanoa), which did not receive a 9% tax credit award and relinquished its funds.
• Goal Adjustments: The report noted that the committee previously voted to increase the rental units goal for households under 30% Area Median Income (AMI) from 200 to 360 and the repair goal from 500 to 900. This goal change is currently awaiting approval by the Board of Commissioners.

Community Input

The transcript summary indicates that public comment was accepted, but it reported limited public comment, primarily consisting of questions from committee members regarding program details and funding sources. No specific remarks from members of the public were recorded in the summary.

Follow-ups

Staff members explicitly agreed to the following actions during the meeting:

• Continue discussions with the North Carolina Department of Commerce regarding potential uses for CDBG-NR funding, particularly in supporting Helene recovery efforts.
• Provide an update to the committee on the direction of CDBG-NR funding in the summer.
• Clarify how to count recovery-related repairs within existing program goals and report back with specific numbers.
• Explore the possibility of including Disaster Recovery (DR) funds in mixed-use developments and discuss with relevant stakeholders.
• Provide an update on the WNC Affordable Housing Loan Fund.
• Prepare a report on the status of the ARPA FRF Home Repair program.
• Prepare quarterly reports for the Board of Commissioners.

Impact

These decisions and updates reflect the committee’s ongoing management of federal and state housing funds. The adoption of new bylaws formalizes the subcommittee’s structure following the Board of Commissioners’ expansion of membership to include residents. The shift in AHSP guidelines ensures that significant financial decisions, such as loan terms and funding allocations, are made by the full Board of Commissioners, while the subcommittee retains a role in making recommendations. The program updates provide transparency on the status of critical housing initiatives, including the completion of the ARPA home repair program and the redirection of CDBG-NR funds toward hurricane recovery.