Thrive Asheville Newsletter - April

Hi Asheville! Thanks for reading this month's Thrive Asheville newsletter. If you're reading this, it's because you love Asheville and want to be part of new solutions or because you have already engaged with one of our programs — maybe through Vote AVL, the Landlord-Tenant Partnership or our latest Finding Home Initiative.

In today's email, we highlight: our upcoming virtual Folding Chair event, two important civic events and an article on single-family zoning. Read on for more.

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Hear first-person stories of people caught in the affordable housing crisis and get involved with a community policy agenda at next month’s Folding Chair Session. The panel discussion and networking event will be hosted by Aisha Adams and the Lenoir-Rhyne Equity and Diversity Institute and is set to take place virtually on Sunday, May 16 at 6 p.m


This project is based on findings from Thrive Asheville's "Finding Home: Recommendations for Affordable, Healthy, and Connected Places for Families," a civic engagement project that surveyed 150+ prospective homeowners, renters and voucher holders to better understand the challenges and opportunities for affordable housing and home ownership in the Asheville area. 

You will leave this free event with tools and information that will empower you to become a more effective affordable housing and equity advocate in our community. 

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Thrive Asheville is a partner in the Building Our City speaker series which features national experts on community development topics. May’s speaker will be highlighting a controversial and timely topic, single-family zoning, which is at the heart of legislation currently making its way through the NC General Assembly (check out the link below to learn more).

Join the discussion on Wednesday, May 26th at 12:00 EST, for a virtual presentation with Heather Worthington, where she will examine the efforts behind Minneapolis' 2019 decision to end single-family zoning on 70% of the city's residential land, as well as the challenges that remain for the development of affordable housing.

This fall, Thrive Asheville will dig into the topic of sustainable tourism. We'll convene community leaders on how best to maintain the delicate balance between residential quality of life, a healthy, and resilient environment and a robust tourism sector.

The Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority is offering learning opportunities this month. “Planning for the Future: DEEP Community Conversations,” will explore the following topics:

All four webinars will take place from 12 noon to 1:15 p.m. on the dates listed.

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When Ben Wright joined the Landlord Tenant Partnership program last year, he was surprised about the simplicity of the process.

"I thought there was going to be so much bureaucracy, waiting and paperwork, etc… that was my initial perception. But the process was very transparent. We received lots of real time updates from Thrive. It was easy and simple," he reflects.

What's more, Ben says he feels deeply inspired with the knowledge that he's helping create opportunities for his neighbors.

"I see the LTP program as transformational. It's a very cool feeling to be able to help someone with housing who doesn't have the same opportunities as yourself, and to see how much it helps their family and future generations," he says.

Ben is presently renting one unit to voucher holders through Thrive's program, and hopes to offer another unit by May. His ultimate goal is collaborate with Thrive to offer 25-35 affordable units for voucher holders in our community.

This spring, we are looking to add more landlords to our LTP program, which connects landlords with tenants who want to move from public housing to private rentals using housing choice vouchers.

Interested? Visit here and fill out the form.

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In late March, a bipartisan group of state legislators introduced companion bills that would eliminate single-family zoning in North Carolina. House Bill 401 and Senate Bill 349 both call for “middle housing” - townhouses, duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes - to be allowed in any neighborhood currently zoned for detached single-family homes.

By promoting this “Missing Middle,” North Carolina could add up to a million housing units said Senator Chuck Edwards. Read more here.

Kate Pett