The City of Asheville’s Community and Economic Development (CED) team has officially released the first Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Affordable Multi-Family Housing Construction Program. The NOFO welcomes applications from developers seeking funding to build quality, affordable apartment homes for the community.
The Affordable Multi-Family Housing Construction Program activates the City’s federal CDBG-DR funds dedicated to increasing the stock of affordable rental units within Asheville. The City can release further NOFOs for any remaining amounts beyond this competitive funding opportunity.
“The launch of this NOFO is a vital step in Asheville’s recovery to help developers create high-quality, disaster-resilient housing for our workforce and most vulnerable residents,” said CDBG-DR Program Manager Elma King. “At this initial stage, we are specifically seeking proposals from professional developers who can leverage these funds with Low Income Housing Tax Credits to ensure long-term affordability. This process is about more than just construction; it is a critical opportunity for the City to identify ‘shovel-ready’ multifamily projects, providing the essential data we need to make informed, strategic decisions about the future of our housing programs.”
The core objective of the program is to create multifamily rental developments that feature substantial disaster-resilience characteristics. Individual projects can be awarded a minimum of $500,000 up to the maximum of $10 million. For more information about program requirements and affordability, access the full NOFO and Program Manual at the Housing Program web page.
Contact Information
To submit a Notice of Intent or questions, please email CDBG-DR@ashevillenc.gov.
About the City of Asheville’s CDBG-DR Program
On January 16, 2025, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated $225,010,000 in CDBG-DR funds for the City of Asheville’s recovery from Tropical Storm Helene. CDBG-DR is a federal disaster recovery program that provides funding to communities affected by major disasters. These funds must be used to address unmet disaster-related needs, particularly in housing, economic revitalization, and infrastructure restorations.
Learn more about the City of Asheville’s CDBG-DR program and read the City’s Action Plan at ashevillerecovers.org/cdbg-