The Early Assistance program provides a non-mandatory flexible review session for prospective business owners, developers, and designers to receive expert technical advice from staff during the preliminary phase of a project.  Go to Development Portal to schedule your Early Assistance Meeting. Floodplain Assistance Support Team (FAST) sessions are now available. Dedicated time slots for FAST Sessions are offered twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday.  Indicate in the ‘Project Details’ that you are requesting a FAST Session and the meeting will be prioritized and the the full team will be alerted and in attendance at the meeting. 

The cost of this service is $120.00 plus a 4% technology fee. You will receive an invoice by email after submitting this request. (FAST Sessions are offered fee-free.)

Disciplines available upon request include:

  • Building Safety
  • Planning and Urban Design
  • Public Works
  • Fire Safety
  • Addressing 
  • Site Engineering
  • Water Engineering

To submit for this meeting, you will need to provide the following information:

  • Project Address and Parcel Number (PIN)
  • Project Description
  • Brief description of key questions/issues for each requested discipline

A preliminary site plan is required for this meeting. Please review the City of Asheville’s Unified Development Ordinance before drafting a conceptual site plan. 

Contact 

Email pod@ashevillenc.gov with questions.