Community Development Last updated or reviewed on February 11, 2026 Welcome to Community Development! The Division works to build opportunities for community access to housing. Community Development manages and administers HUD funded programs for Asheville and a four-county consortium consisting of Buncombe, Henderson, Transylvania and Madison Counties. These programs provide affordable housing, economic opportunities and other benefits for low-income residents. They include the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) and other programs funded by HUD. Most of the funding from these programs is distributed to organizations in Asheville and the four county consortium through a competitive application processes. The Division also manages and administers City of Asheville funding for affordable housing and outside agencies. Affordable Housing programs include the Housing Trust Fund and Affordable Housing Fee Rebate program. The Asheville-Buncombe County Homelessness Initiative is also managed within the Community Development Division. The Division supports Asheville area citizens on issues related to affordable housing and community development. PUBLIC NOTICE: Proposed Amendment to Consolidated Plan 2025-2029 The City of Asheville is proposing to amend the 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan to add Affordable Rental Construction as a goal and priority need. The City will be taking public comment from January 30, 2026 – March 6, 2026. The City’s Community Development Division, in collaboration with the Asheville Regional Housing Consortium, developed the 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan, which guides the allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Partnership Act (HOME) funds. It establishes the five-year needs, priorities, strategies, and performance targets for activities funded by these grants. The proposed amendment would add Affordable Rental Construction as a new goal and priority need within the plan’s existing framework, enabling the allocation of funds for this purpose. Comment can be mailed to: Community Development Division, 5th Floor, P.O. Box 7148 Asheville, NC 28802. Comments will also be received via email at CommunityDevelopment@ashevillenc.gov. Written comment must be received no later than 9:00 am on Friday March 6th, 2026. A public hearing will be held at the Asheville City Council meeting at 5:00 PM on February 24th, 2026. The agenda will be posted at https://www.ashevillenc.gov/government/city-council-agenda. Citizens are encouraged to comment and information is also provided on this same web page about how to participate and comment. Our Web Pages To help navigate the Community Development Division, please find the links to our web pages below. HUD Programs and Reports Plans, Policy and Reports Public Notices Get Involved To be added to the Community Development email list, please fill out our google form found here. Consider joining one of our meetings below to get more involved. Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC) AHAC provides guidance on Policies & Procedures to Preserve, Protect & Produce Affordable Housing. Asheville Regional Housing Consortium (ARHC) ARHC is our regional consortium that helps manage HOME funds in our 4 County region – Buncombe, Henderson, Madison & Transylvania. Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee (HIAC) HIAC is the Committee responsible for implementing the Five Year Strategic Plan on Homelessness in Buncombe County. 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. 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.
