Asheville City Council
March 11, 2025
Regular meeting
Helene recoveryWaterBudget and taxesOther City businessStreets and transitHousing
What it did
- Changes City law, Chapter 7 of the City Code.Passed. Voted no: S. Antanette Mosley, Kim Roney, Sheneika Smith.
- Changes City law, Chapter 7 of the City Code.Passed. Voted no: S. Antanette Mosley, Kim Roney, Sheneika Smith.
- Changes City law, Chapter 7 of the City Code.Passed. Voted no: S. Antanette Mosley, Kim Roney, Sheneika Smith.
- Changes City law, Chapter 7 of the City Code.Passed. Voted no: S. Antanette Mosley, Kim Roney, Sheneika Smith.
- Votes recorded
- 24
- Voted on separately
- 5
- Routine items, one vote
- 19
- Votes that split
- 4
Why it matters
Regular meetings are where Council votes on laws, the budget, contracts and zoning. Routine items pass together in one vote, called the consent agenda.
The recording
Everything on the agenda
From the minutes, in the order the City lists them. Each item's first lines are the minutes' own words.
PROCLAMATIONS
Proclamation proclaiming March 18, 2025, as “Transit Staff Appreciation Day”
“Councilwoman Roney read the proclamation proclaiming March 18, 2025, as "Transit Staff Appreciation Day " in the City of Asheville.”
Proclamation proclaiming March, 2025, as “Red Cross Month”
“Councilwoman Ullman read the proclamation proclaiming March, 2025, as "Red Cross Month " in the City of Asheville.”
CONSENT AGENDA
19 routine items, passed together in one vote.
PRESENTATIONS & REPORTS
Manager’s report
“Asheville Recovers Website - ashevillerecovers.org Communication & Public Engagement Director Dawa Hitch outlined the following key takeaways from her presentation (1) One Stop Shop - AshevilleRecovers.org was designed to ease navigation through the many channels feeding into our city’s ongoing…”
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Public hearing previously held - Vote to consider an amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance to Change the development regulations related to cottage developments public hearing previously held - Vote to consider an amendment to…
“Mayor Manheimer said that on September 10, 2025, and February 11, 2025, a combined public hearing was open and closed on both matters and they were continued to this date.”
INFORMAL DISCUSSION AND PUBLIC COMMENT
Public comment
- urge City Council to use the $225M of CDBG-DR funding to do more for residents
- request for City water/sewer to some residents without in the Shiloh area
- request for a comprehensive waterline upgrade
- concern of process N.C
Voted on separately
Each of these had its own motion and vote.
Changes City law, Chapter 7 of the City Code.
Passed. Voted no: S. Antanette Mosley, Kim Roney, Sheneika Smith.
More from the minutes
- “The community intent of cottage clusters cannot be met with 2 units.”
- “A more direct way of allowing two units on a lot would be to change single-family zoning.”
- “The intention of the Cottage Development Ordinance is to permit smaller, single-unit dwellings to live in clustered communities oriented around common open space.”
Changes City law, Chapter 7 of the City Code.
Passed. Voted no: S. Antanette Mosley, Kim Roney, Sheneika Smith.
More from the minutes
- “In general, staff believe this to be an ineffective tool for increasing housing supply because it incentivizes single-family homes and tends to create disorganized development patterns.”
- “The proposed text amendment has been reviewed against the recently-passed state legislation (SB 382) that limits municipal downzoning action.”
- “Promote the Development and Availability of Affordable Housing and Workforce Housing”
Changes City law, Chapter 7 of the City Code.
Passed. Voted no: S. Antanette Mosley, Kim Roney, Sheneika Smith.
Who it's for: Households earning 60% to 80% of the area median income: $61,440 to $81,920 a year for a family of four (HUD's 2026 income limits for tax-credit housing in the Asheville area).
More from the minutes
- “By setting a new baseline for Level III projects at 100,000 sq. ft. for all project types, instead of 50 residential units, this effectively raises the threshold for residential projects which would otherwise require a conditional zoning.”
- “Further revisions of the project level thresholds focus on raising development thresholds for Level III projects only for parcels located in commercial corridors and mixed-use districts, as well as incentivizing affordable housing by further increasing the Level III and conditional zoning threshold, as proposed below.”
- “The proposed text amendment has been reviewed against the recently-passed state legislation (SB 382) that limits municipal downzoning action.”
Changes City law, Chapter 7 of the City Code.
Passed. Voted no: S. Antanette Mosley, Kim Roney, Sheneika Smith.
More from the minutes
- “Staff proposes to update UDO sections 7-8-8.”
- “The proposed text amendment has been reviewed against the recently-passed state legislation (SB 382) that limits municipal downzoning action.”
Changes City law, Chapter 7 of the City Code.
Passed. Everyone present voted yes.
More from the minutes
- “The UDO requires minimum off-street parking spaces for residential uses based on the type of residential use and the number of bedrooms for multi-family uses”
- “The Living Asheville Comprehensive Plan defines the preferred growth area as within ½-mile of transit-supportive centers and ¼-mile along transit routes.”
- “The Planning & Zoning Commission drafted and proposed an amendment to this section of the UDO (Sec. 7-11-2.”
Routine items, passed together
The consent agenda: items Council approves in one vote, without separate discussion. A member can ask to pull an item out for its own vote.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “On March 12, 2024 the City Council adopted Resolution No, 24-66 approving the Housing Authority issuance of not to exceed $12,775,000 of tax-exempt bonds for the Laurel Wood Apartments development.”
- “Adoption of a resolution affirming the approval of the issuance bonds by the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville for Laurel Wood Apartments.”
- “51 units of affordable senior housing will be preserved and renovated and 54 additional affordable senior housing units will be constructed.”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “Action Requested: Approve a budget amendment in the General Capital Projects Fund in the amount of $80,000,000 to budget capital improvements approved as part of the November 2024 General Obligation Bond Referendum and funded with future debt proceeds.”
Approves issuing up to $1,000,000 multifamily housing revenue bonds to provide financing for batter…
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “Therefore, Battery Park (TC2) Senior Housing Limited Partnership (the “Borrower”) requests City Council approval for the Asheville Housing Authority (the “Issuer”) to issue an additional amount of $1,000,000 in multifamily housing revenue bonds for the acquisition and rehabilitation of Battery Park Apartments.”
- “Battery Park is a 100% subsidized senior housing community for residents aged 62 and older, located at 1 Battle Square in downtown Asheville, consisting of one, 14-story building with 122 affordable apartments (113 one-bedrooms and 9 two-bedrooms).”
- “The building was originally constructed in the early 1920s as the Battery Park Hotel and underwent an extensive adaptive reuse in the 1980s to allow for affordable housing.”
- “122 units of affordable senior housing will be preserved and renovated.”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- What the minutes say it will do: “The study will assess current operations, explore new service delivery methods like microtransit, consider environmental and financial sustainability, and recommend short-term (1-5 years) and long-term (6-10 years) service changes for potential implementation.”
- The money, in the minutes' words: “3-11-25 Page 21 Action Requested: Adoption of a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract with Jarrett Walker & Associates, LLC in an amount not to exceed $299,877 to conduct a Comprehensive Operational Analysis of the City’s Asheville Rides Transit system.”
- “Funding for the project is currently budgeted in the FY25 Transit Operations Fund.”
Signs a contract with Wilde Acre Landscapes for mowing maintenance of city Parks.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “Motion to authorize the City Manager to execute a service contract with Wilde Acre Landscapes, for mowing maintenance of city parks for an annual amount not to exceed $213,109 with option to renew maintenance services for up to two (2) additional years for a total contract amount not to exceed $639,327.”
- “Approval of a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a contract with Wilde Acre, Inc., of Asheville, N.C. for mowing and maintenance of city parks.”
- “Wilde Acre, was selected based on having the lowest responsive and responsible bid.”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “The maximum total fee amount of $168,600 for the annual audit is already included in the adopted fiscal year 2024-2025 General Fund budget. 3-11-25 Page 11”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- What the minutes say it will do: “The project will procure engineering consulting services to study the feasibility of adding battery storage and onsite solar (where not present) in one or more City of Asheville buildings, with a prioritization of critical emergency infrastructure.”
- The money, in the minutes' words: “Action Requested: Adoption of a budget amendment to the City’s Special Revenue Fund, in the amount of $61,500, for the Department of Energy Renewables Advancing Community Energy Resilience (DOE RACER) grant.”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- “The proposed use of public art funds is in alignment with the Helene Recovery Priorities Survey conducted by the City of Asheville (results February 2025) indicating strong support for business recovery and arts funding.”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
Lets the City Manager execute a not-to-exceed on-call contract with All Pro Fire and Safety.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
Signs a contract with Rivertop Contracting NC for mowing maintenance of Riverside Cemetery.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- “The Parks & Recreation Department maintains over 87 acres of predominantly mowing and edging at Riverside Cemetery weekly during the months of March through October.”
States Council's support for the N.C. dept. of Transportation to abandon a segment of Campus Drive…
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- “The University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA) has filed an Abandonment Petition with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), requesting that a portion of secondary road SR-1683 (Campus Drive) be abandoned by NCDOT for a total length of 0.45 miles.”
- “UNCA assumes ownership and maintenance responsibility of what is currently an NCDOT-maintained portion of road.”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
Monthly municipal property tax refunds or releases per N.C. gen. stat. sec. 105-381.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
The plain-language lines are written by fixed rules from each item's official title, which is on each decision's page. Every vote the minutes record is listed; procedural motions, like approving the minutes or adjourning, are left out.