Helene home-repair partnership approved
Asheville City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to join the N.C. Department of Commerce’s Division of Community Revitalization in the RenewNC Homeowner Repair and Reconstruction Program.
The partnership makes the state’s disaster-recovery initiative — funded through federal Community Development Block Grant dollars — fully available to eligible Asheville homeowners whose houses were damaged by Hurricane Helene.
Council also reopened applications for four Helene Recovery Boards, which will guide how recovery funds are spent. The new application deadline is Oct. 21 at 5 p.m., with a vote on appointing members scheduled for the Oct. 28 council meeting.
‘Sip-and-stroll’ plan put on hold
Council’s most debated item was a proposal to create an event-based social district in the South Slope — a pilot that would let people “sip and stroll” with drinks from participating bars and restaurants during events like Mardi Gras and Oktoberfest.
The idea, developed by the Asheville Downtown Association, was intended to boost business activity downtown after Hurricane Helene, when many small establishments reported declining sales and foot traffic.
But Vice Mayor Antanette Mosley raised concerns about how quickly business-led proposals were advancing compared with long-standing requests from Asheville’s historically Black “legacy neighborhoods.”
“Legacy neighborhoods have been waiting literally four years for a requested change to the ordinance,” Mosley said. “And tonight we’re considering two ordinance changes for downtown businesses.”
Mosley did not cite a specific ordinance, but her comments echoed earlier council discussions about delayed policy updates and community investments in legacy neighborhoods.
Community advocate Sekou Coleman, representing the Legacy Neighborhoods Coalition, told council members that while the district’s goal of aiding recovery made sense, any new downtown program should also benefit longtime residents.
“Downtown businesses are still recovering from Helene, and the goal is to bring people back for special events,” Coleman said. “But the more important issue is cultural and social displacement — that happens when city actions prioritize the people who come here over the people who live here, grew up here, and built culture here.”
After about an hour of discussion, council voted unanimously to delay the proposal until Nov. 18 to incorporate Coleman’s recommendations and gather more feedback.
Noise ordinance change falls short
Council also voted 4-3 in favor of a temporary change to the city’s noise ordinance that would allow certified performance venues to host up to 50 amplified outdoor events per year, up from 30.
Right now, the change would apply only to Asheville Yards, the city’s sole venue that has completed the acoustic-modeling process required to qualify as a performance center.
Supporters — including nearby business owners — said the additional events would help attract visitors and support South Slope restaurants and breweries. But opponents questioned whether the change should move forward for a single venue before the city completes broader updates to its noise regulations.
Because ordinance changes require a five-vote supermajority, the measure did not pass and will return for a second vote on Oct. 28.
Other tidbits
- Council approved an agreement with Buncombe County to fund Code Purple emergency-shelter operations this winter.
- Members formally dissolved the Community Reparations Commission after it delivered its final report last month.
- Council advanced several capital and infrastructure contracts, including improvements to Malvern Hills Park (approved 5-2, with Mosley and Smith voting no), Recreation Park, and the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium roof.
Asheville City Council regularly meets every second and fourth Tuesday at the Council Chamber on the second floor of City Hall, 70 Court Plaza, beginning at 5 p.m. The next meeting will take place Tuesday, Oct. 28. See the full recording and the action agenda of the Oct. 14 meeting.
