Community Development Last updated or reviewed on May 4, 2026 Welcome to Community Development! The Community Development Division manages and administers programs that are funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development for Asheville and a four-county consortium consisting of Buncombe, Henderson, Transylvania and Madison Counties. We administer the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) programs funded by HUD. Most of the funding from these programs is distributed to organizations in Asheville and the four county consortium through competitive application processes. Current News: Public Notice: City of Asheville CDBG & HOME Programs FY 26-27 Annual Action Plan Notice is hereby given that the City of Asheville’s Annual Action Plan for the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) Programs is available for public view and comment. The official public comment period begins May 4th, 2026 and will close on June 5, 2026 This Action Plan refers to funding for projects in our community for the Fiscal Year 2026-2027. The anticipated entitlement amounts are $ $1,046,468.00 for CDBG and $1,075,138.84 for HOME. Information on the amount of funding available, the requirements on benefit to low-and-moderate income persons, eligible activities, and plans to minimize displacement and provide displacement assistance as necessary are part of this plan and is available for public inspection at the City of Asheville’s Community and Economic Development webpage. A public hearing will be held on May 26, 2026 during a City of Asheville City Council meeting at 5:00pm. Interested citizens are encouraged to attend and provide public comment. If you plan to attend this meeting and require special accommodations because of a disability or physical impairment, please email CommunityDevelopment@ashevillenc.gov before May 20, 2026. Citizens who are not able to attend the City Council meeting are encouraged to submit comments by writing to the Community Development Division, 5th Floor, P.O. Box 7148 Asheville, NC 28802 or email at CommunityDevelopment@ashevillenc.gov. Comments and questions should be received by June 5, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. The City of Asheville anticipates submitting our Annual Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on June 10, 2026 following approval by City Council on June 9, 2026. This information is available in Spanish or any other language upon request. Please contact CommunityDevelopment@ashevillenc.gov or at 70 Court Plaza, Asheville NC 28801 for accommodating this request. Esta información está disponible en español o en cualquier otro idioma bajo petición. Por favor, ponte en contacto con CommunityDevelopment@ashevillenc.gov o en 70 Court Plaza, Asheville NC 28801 para alojar esta solicitud. Notice of Non-Discrimination: The City of Asheville does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, age, handicap, sex or sexual orientation. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), this notice and documents listed can be requested in alternate format. Auxiliary aids or services will be provided upon request, with at least three day’s notice. Upcoming HOME-ARP Key Deadlines Applications for the HOME-ARP Development of Affordable Rental Construction program will open March 16, 2026 and close May 15, 2026. All responses have been included as an addendum to the NOFO on April 6, 2026, responses are available on the application portal. Our Web Pages To help navigate the Community Development Division, please find the links to our web pages below. HUD Programs Plans, Policy and Reports Public Notices Community Development Projects and Initiatives Get Involved To be added to the Community Development email list, please email us at CommunityDevelopment@ashevillenc.gov. Consider joining one of our meetings below to get more involved. Asheville Regional Housing Consortium (ARHC) ARHC is our regional consortium that helps manage HOME funds in our 4 County region – Buncombe, Henderson, Madison & Transylvania. Housing & Community Development Committee (HCD) HCD is made up of 3 City Council members who provide policy recommendations to Council on all matters relating to the creation and maintenance of affordable housing within the city, as well as services related to homelessness. Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) AHAC provides guidance on priorities and policies to Preserve, Protect & Produce Affordable Housing. Community Development Staff Staff Name Title Program Area Email James Shelton Community Development Division Manager Annual Entitlement jshelton2@ashevillenc.gov Deborah Johnson Community Development Analyst II Annual Entitlement djohnson2@ashevillenc.gov Kaylee Pulliam HOME Program Analyst Annual Entitlement kpulliam@ashevillenc.gov Sofia Bonilla CDBG Program Analyst Annual Entitlement sbonilla@ashevillenc.gov Dora Tovar Community Development Coordinator Annual Entitlement dtovar@ashevillenc.gov Elma King CDBG-DR Program Manager Disaster Recovery eking@ashevillenc.gov Amber Stapleton CDBG-DR Housing Programs Lead Disaster Recovery astapleton@ashevillenc.gov Charlie Savage CDBG-DR Economic Revitalization Programs Lead Disaster Recovery csavage@ashevillenc.gov Kate Fehlenberg CDBG-DR Infrastructure Programs Lead Disaster Recovery kfehlenberg@ashevillenc.gov Rebecca Walter CDBG-DR Communication Specialist Disaster Recovery rwalter@ashevillenc.gov If you are looking for affordable housing, suffering a housing crisis, in need of rental assistance or down payment assistance, or you have concerns about our homeless community, please call 211. The service is free, confidential and available in any language.
