Community Development Last updated or reviewed on August 31, 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. News City Of Asheville Public Notice: FY 25/26 CAPER The City of Asheville’s Community Development Division reports on accomplishments and progress towards the Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan goals of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funds through the Consolidated Annual Performance & Evaluation Report (CAPER). The DRAFT FY 25/26 CAPER is available for a public review and comment from Monday, August 31, 2026 to Friday, September 18, 2026. The CAPER is available for review on the City of Asheville’s Community Development page. Citizens wishing to submit written comments during the public review and comment period may send them via email to CommunityDevelopment@ashevillenc.gov until 5pm on Friday, September 18, 2026. You may also send your comments via mail, postmarked no later than Friday, September 18, 2026, by 5pm, to the following address: City of Asheville Community Development Division, 5th Floor P.O. Box 7148 Asheville, NC 28802 This information is available in Spanish or any other language upon request. Please contact the Community Development team via email 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 el departamento de desario de comunidad 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 DAYS’ NOTICE. City of Asheville Public Notice: Proposed Substantial Amendment to the HOME-ARP Allocation Plan The City of Asheville is proposing a substantial amendment to the HOME American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) Allocation Plan . The City will be taking public comment from August 31, 2026 – October 2nd, 2026. The City’s Community Development Division, in collaboration with the Asheville Regional Housing Consortium, developed the HOME-ARP Allocation Plan, which guides the allocation of funds aimed at mitigating homelessness and fulfilling regional housing needs. The proposed substantial amendment revises the HOME-ARP Allocation Plan to add preferences and referral methods designed to address the increased need for housing assistance following Hurricane Helene. The amendment establishes a preference for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, including those experiencing homelessness for the first time as a result of Hurricane Helene, and incorporates the Coordinated Entry system and other eligible referral sources to ensure assistance is targeted to households with the greatest need. The proposed amendment is available on the Community Development website. Printed copies are available upon request. Comments will be received via email to the Community Development team. Written comment must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on October 2nd, 2026. Comment can also be mailed to: City of Asheville Community Development Division, 5th Floor P.O. Box 7148 Asheville, NC 28802. A public hearing will also be held at the Asheville City Council meeting at 5:00 PM on September 22, 2026. If you plan to attend this meeting and require special accommodations because of a disability or physical impairment, please email the Community Development team before September 1, 2026. The agenda will be posted on the City of Asheville City Council website. Citizens are encouraged to comment and information is also provided on this same web page about how to participate and comment. This information is available in Spanish or any other language upon request. Please contact the Community Development team 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 el departamento de desario de comunidad 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 DAYS’ NOTICE. 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 Community Development Analyst II 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.
