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Fresh off the heels of our February City Council Retreat, I'm excited to share that we’ve crafted a compelling Recovery Vision in response to the challenges posed by Helene, which is rooted in resilience, rising in unity, repairing with care, and ready for tomorrow.
To bring this vision to life, we established guiding principles that emphasize community-centered recovery, accountability, transparency, sustainability, and innovation. From these principles, we identified four key priority areas that will drive our efforts forward:
- People
- Housing
- Infrastructure/Environment
- Economy
I felt it was important to strongly advocate elevating the environment to one of our highest priorities, and I’m proud that the Asheville City Council agreed and sees the high value of its protection in our recovery.
During our retreat, we gathered valuable insights from facilitators and City staff, based on your participation in our recent Helene Recovery Priorities Survey. We received nearly 6,900 responses, offering valuable insights into community needs including:
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Infrastructure Resilience: 94% supported rebuilding infrastructure to be stronger and more storm-resilient (even if it takes longer), whereas only 53% supported restoring infrastructure to pre-storm standards.
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Housing Stability: 74% rated affordable housing development as “Essential” or “Very Important,” including renters (88%), lower-income respondents (86%), younger respondents (83%), and BIPOC respondents (80%). Priorities included emergency shelter, rental assistance, and affordability, especially for renters, displaced residents, and lower-income households.
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Economic Recovery: 76% supported business recovery efforts. Business support, job stabilization, and financial assistance were identified as critical.
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Food Security: 74% supported using Community Resource Centers as neighborhood hubs during future crises. Strong support exists for initiatives ensuring food access during times of emergency.
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Sustainability: 82% highly value thoughtful land use planning in storm-damaged areas. Strong support exists for environmental protection and strategic land use planning.
I encourage you to review the full survey results here. These insights will inform upcoming community engagement efforts, including the Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding discussions.
It’s my pleasure working for each of you as we continue to drive Asheville forward.
Here’s to a year filled with possibilities -
Maggie
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