Parking standards curtail housing, advocates tell County Commissioners

Access to housing was a hot topic for public comment at the Dec. 17 Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting. Marty Benson and Nick Levine, members of Brainerd, Minn.-based Strong Towns and Asheville for All, organizations that promote resilient buildings and communities, asked commissioners to lower residential parking requirements for housing developments. The two said changing the ordinance will help address the region’s housing crisis.  

Benson told the board, “I’m here to plead that we … radically reform or abolish our mandatory parking items because they are stopping us from building houses.” He said the state of Colorado recently eliminated minimum parking space requirements and said several research studies found that removing mandatory parking space allotments lowers housing costs, increases walkability and benefits small businesses.

Currently, Buncombe County’s zoning ordinance section 78-658 requires 1.75 parking spaces per unit in multifamily residential dwellings and two spaces for single- and two-family homes. Benson was moved to speak to the commissioners after attending the Dec. 11 Board of Adjustment meeting where the issue of parking came up for several projects, one of which was rejected because it didn’t meet the parking requirements. 

Both Benson and Levine stressed the importance of building more housing in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene, which, according to a presentation later in the meeting, damaged 9,234 residential units in Buncombe County — over 330 of which were destroyed, and 609 or more had major damage. “Especially at this time, this is so critical to have more housing built more regularly without these requirements that are holding us back from being a better Asheville than we are right now,” said Levine.

Board Chair Amanda Edwards said the board was there to listen and wouldn’t offer comments.

Disaster recovery

County Manager Avril Pinder provided an update on Tropical Storm Helene recovery efforts. Notable items include:

• To date, Buncombe County has collected over 521,000 cubic yards of debris and 9,740 tons of mud, silt and soil from public ways. Debris removal will continue in multiple passes; the public will be made aware of the final date for removal when it becomes available. The county is working on a process for removing titled property, such as vehicles stuck in roadways and waterways. Information will be forthcoming.
• Mountain BizWorks has received 843 applications totaling $20 million for its Helene Business Recovery Fund. The fund provides loans of up to $100,000 for selected businesses. 
• The deadline to apply for disaster unemployment assistance has been extended until Jan. 7.
• 147 households have been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for direct housing. As of Dec. 13, FEMA had installed 16 temporary units across the county. 

In other news:

• The county received a $30,000 donation from Helping at Risk Kids Inc. to buy holiday gifts for children and young adults in Buncombe County’s foster care system.
•  Lacy Hoyle, the county’s homelessness program manager, told the board that the temporary shelter at the former site of Gold’s Gym on Hendersonville Road is set to close Dec. 31. The location houses 22 people, down from the peak of 585 on Oct. 8. Buncombe County, the Salvation Army and the Continuum of Care are working to find housing for the remaining occupants.  
• Rachael Sawyer, director of strategic partnerships, presented an update on the School Consolidation Feasibility Study mandated by the N.C. General Assembly. The report will be presented Jan. 16 at a joint meeting of commissioners and school boards. Following the presentation, commissioners asked several questions, including Chair Edwards, who pointed out the relatively low participation numbers — 7,245 surveys were completed for schools that serve approximately 26,000 families and only 35 of 54 schools were observed. Sawyer said a full outline of the data would be part of the report. 
• Commissioners approved transferring $656,000 from COVID recovery funds to Helene Recovery Personnel. When Commissioner Terri Wells asked for clarification, grants manager Tyler Henry, replied, “With impacts of the storm, funding has been pulled all over the place and so this is one way that we can assist with the pressure that’s been placed on this current fiscal year’s budget.” Plus, the money has to be spent by the end of the year, he said.
• Commissioners accepted $199,296 from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services for the emergency rental assistance program.