ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Buncombe County’s recently established Ad Hoc Short-Term Rental Committee now has 13 members.

Commissioners on Tuesday selected nine community members to join four county officials on the committee that will convene in September and October and then present its recommendations for short-term rental regulations to the Planning Board in November. The Planning Board is then expected to present its recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners in December.

The community members selected for the committee are:

  • Matt Allen
  • ME Gray
  • Matt Lutz
  • Jay Gerlach
  • Kit Molina-Nauert
  • Angelica Cote
  • Chris Joyell
  • Andrea Golden
  • Candice Matelski-Brady

They will be joined by Planning Board members Nancy Waldrop and Kenneth Kahn, along with Commissioners Brownie Newman and Parker Sloan.

Community Development Block Grant Recovery Housing Program

Buncombe County applied for $1,000,000 from the N.C. Commerce’s Rural and Economic Development Division to support Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministries in expanding the Transformation Village recovery housing. According to a news release from the county, the expansion includes the construction of a four-story, 64-unit building with 32 units dedicated to women and mothers in recovery from substance use.

During the meeting, commissioners approved a resolution accepting the grant and an interlocal agreement with Land of Sky Regional Council, a multi-county, local government, planning and development organization that will directly administer the grant, the release said.

Commissioners also approved a budget amendment for the grant.

The Recovery Housing Program (RHP) funded units must be rented to households with incomes below 80% or less of Area Median Income and must meet RHP affordability requirements for not less than 20 years.

The grant news comes just before International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31. Community members are invited to join the county and SeekHealing for a free event for collective grieving and healing from 12-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31 at Carrier Park.

“The board approved the submission of the application to NC Commerce’s REDD for the Recovery Housing Program funding to benefit individuals in recovery from substance use and who are low- or moderate-income persons,” the resolution states.

“Thank you for this partnership,” Commissioner Terri Wells said in the news release. “I am excited to see this move forward.”

Funds are slated to be expended by Jan. 24, 2027.

Public hearing on Schedule of Values

During Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners also held a public hearing for the 2025 Schedule of Values for the upcoming property reappraisal. The Schedule of Values outlines the methodology and procedures used to develop the 2025 assessed property values for the reappraisal of all real property for January 2025. This hearing was a chance for commissioners to hear community feedback.

No members of the public spoke at the hearing.

Methods, procedures, rules, terminology, categories and classifications used by county appraisers are included in the manual, and they’ll be used to value property until the next countywide reappraisal.

Key Dates:

  • Sept. 3, 2024 – The board adopts the schedule at its regular meeting.
  • Sept. 4, 2024 – Publish notice of adoption for four consecutive weeks.
  • Oct. 4, 2024 – The appeal period ends.

Click here to see a presentation on the 2025 Schedule of Values.

Innovation award

A team from Buncombe County’s Economic Services department recently got much-deserved recognition by winning the NCACC Civic Excellence in Innovation Award which acknowledges innovative programs that provide cost/resource savings for counties, the county’s news release said. The team won for its “Pioneering a Shared Training Hub” project. Learn more about it here.

Awareness weeks

Commissioners recognized two awareness weeks in the community:

World Breastfeeding Week: Buncombe County Health and Human Services and Latch AVL submitted a request to recognize Aug. 1-7 as World Breastfeeding Week.

“A breastfeeding-friendly community encourages families of all races and ethnicities to continue breastfeeding by providing a supportive and welcoming environment,” the proclamation states. Breastfeeding Week promotes health, bonding, and acknowledges the disparities in birth outcomes among the Black community. To read the full proclamation, click here.

SMART Week: Aug. 26-30 marks the inaugural SMART Week, a time to come together and spread the word about secure gun storage to prevent gun violence. The week calls on educating communities on steps gun owners and non-gun owners can take to securely store guns, model responsible behavior, and advocate for the safety of kids and teens.

“SMART Week raises awareness and promotes efforts to educate the public about secure gun storage, Buncombe County commends Be SMART, a program developed by the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, and all involved in their endeavor to keep communities safe,” the proclamation states.

To read the full proclamation, click here.

Tourism Development Board (TDA) presentation

Vic Isley, president and CEO of ExploreAsheville, provided an update on the status of the Tourism Development Authority. Updates included details on lodging tax investment’s impact on the local economy, an overview of the TDA’s strategies, and data on visitor contribution to the local economy over the years.

Click here to view the presentation.

DWI Task Force funding

Commissioners approved a resolution and Agreement of Conditions for the FY25 DWI Task Force Funding from the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program as requested by Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office. This is the fifth year BCSO is receiving funding for existing positions in the DWI Task Force, with increasing county matches each year.

Click here to learn more.

200 College Street Renovation Project

County commissioners also approved the consolidation of the $2,458,869 budget of the FY22 Administration Building Envelope Repair into the project for renovations at 200 College St. This increased the project’s budget to $4,958,869 with no new county funding required.

Click here to learn more.