Asheville City Council
January 13, 2026
Regular meeting: City Council Meeting (In-Person)
Other City businessWaterHousingStreets and transitHelene recoveryBudget and taxes
What it did
- Rezones 13 Baldwin St from Neighborhood Business (NB) to Residential Single-Family High Density (RS-8).Passed. Everyone present voted yes.
- Rezones 137 Broad St from Community Business I - Conditional Zone (CBI-CZ) to Community Business I (CBI).Passed. Everyone present voted yes.
- Signs a $8.95 million contract with TP Howard Plumbing Co. Inc. for the Neighborhood Enhancement Project Area 8 - Water Distribution Project.Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
- Resolution ratifying a HOME Subrecipient agreement with Commonwealth Development Corporation (d/b/a Fairhaven Meadows LLC) for the development of the affordable Housing project known…Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
- Votes recorded
- 17
- Voted on separately
- 3
- Routine items, one vote
- 14
- Votes that split
- 0
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
Jump to a part of the meeting (8 times listed by the City)
These times and titles are the City's own, copied from the video description.
Everything on the agenda
From the minutes, in the order the City lists them. Each item's first lines are the minutes' own words.
CONSENT AGENDA
14 routine items, passed together in one vote.
PRESENTATIONS & REPORTS
2026 Reappraisal process
“Buncombe County Tax Assessor Eric Cregger provided City Council and community residents a presentation on the 2026 Reappraisal process currently underway in order to make sure everyone is well informed about the reappraisal timeline, process, and its impact.”
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Public hearing to rezone 13 Baldwin Street from Neighborhood Business District to RS-8 Residential Single-Family High Density District: assistant Planning & urban design
“Assistant Planning & Urban Design Director Chris Collins said that this is the consideration of an ordinance to rezone 13 Baldwin Street from Neighborhood Business District to RS-8 Residential Single-Family High Density District.”
Public hearing to rezone 137 Broad street from Community Business 1 - Conditional Zone to Community Business i District: assistant Planning & urban design
“Assistant Planning & Urban Design Director Chris Collins said that this is the consideration of an ordinance to rezone 137 Broad Street from Community Business I District - Conditional Zone to Community Business I District.”
Public hearing to consider amendments to Chapter 7 of the Asheville Code of Ordinances to strike Section 7-7-7 (“Waiting period for subsequent applications”) to bring the unified Development ordinance into compliance with new state…
“On October 6, 2025, House Bill 926 was enacted into law by the state legislature and became Session Law 2025-94, “An Act to Provide Regulatory Relief to the Citizens of North Carolina.””
INFORMAL DISCUSSION AND PUBLIC COMMENT
Public comment
- invitation to the Eddington Center on February 11, 2026
- want to see more affordable housing
- introduction of Connor Brown representing Congressman Edwards office
- dilapidation of Pisgah View Apartments
- concern of the $60 Million in the budget for a new bus parking lot
- ICE is causing irreparable damage to safety and lives of US citizens
- don’t renew the license plate reader of FLOCK
- support for Vice-Mayor Mosley’s residency in Asheville
Voted on separately
Each of these had its own motion and vote.
Passed. Everyone present voted yes.
More from the minutes
- What the minutes say it will do: “The purpose of the existing Neighborhood Business (NB) zoning district is, “to reserve areas for low-intensity business activity that is accessible to pedestrians from the surrounding residential neighborhood.”
- “The rezoning petition consists of one property totalling 0.22 acres and located at 13 Baldwin St (PIN 9657-59-9113).”
- “The property is currently zoned Neighborhood Business (NB).”
- “The subject property is currently vacant and is located at the corner of Fairview Rd and Baldwin St in the Oakley neighborhood.”
Passed. Everyone present voted yes.
More from the minutes
- What the minutes say it will do: “The purpose of the Community Business I (CBI) district is, “to provide areas for medium-density business and service uses serving several residential neighborhoods.”
- “The rezoning petition consists of one property totalling 0.1 acres and located at 137 Broad St (PIN 9649-53-8527).”
- “The subject property is the site of an existing, one-story, commercial building.”
- “The property is currently zoned Community Business I - Conditional Zone (CBI-CZ).”
Passed. Everyone present voted yes.
More from the minutes
- What the minutes say it will do: “This amendment will bring the section into compliance.”
- “The proposed text amendment will strike Section 7-7-7 in its entirety to bring the UDO in compliance with the new legislation.”
- “Originally, staff proposed striking only some of the language to keep waiting periods in place for approved—rather than withdrawn or denied—zoning amendment applications, which would have been the minimum to comply with the new legislation.”
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: “The Water Resources Department requests authorization to contract with TP Howard’s Plumbing Co, Inc. for the bid amount of $8,135,000.00 plus a 10% contingency in the amount of $813,500.00, for a total amount not to exceed $8,948,500.00 for a term through project completion.”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
Who it's for: Households earning up to 70% of the area median income: up to $71,680 a year for a family of four, or $50,190 for one person (HUD's 2026 income limits for tax-credit housing in the Asheville area).
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “Action Requested: Adoption of a resolution to ratify a HOME Subrecipient agreement with Commonwealth Development Corporation (dba Fairhaven Meadows LLC) for the development of the affordable housing project known as Fairhaven Meadows in the amount of $1,305,000.”
- “The City of Asheville is the participating jurisdiction (PJ) for the Asheville Regional Housing Consortium (ARHC) and allocates federal HOME funds across the four-county consortium footprint to support affordable housing.”
- “Located in Brevard, the Fairhaven Meadows project provides 42 units for families at 40-70% AMI (area median income) and has received HOME funding to support the project.”
- “Funding supports the construction of affordable rental housing in the Asheville Regional Housing Consortium service area.”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “The City is responsible for a 20% match totaling $2.98 million.”
- “The project includes engineering and design, right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation, and construction phases for a 10-foot multi-use path (MUP) extending approximately 1.2 miles between Patton Avenue and Pisgah View Road.”
- “There is a history of residents in the neighborhood/area asking for safety improvements along the corridor.”
- “Future redevelopment in the area, including future affordable housing development at HACA’s Deaverview site and the City-owned properties at 65 Ford Street and 411 Deaverview Road, will benefit from improved multimodal connectivity on the corridor.”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- What the minutes say it will do: “This project will improve multimodal connectivity within and to the River Arts District.”
- The money, in the minutes' words: “The City is responsible for a 20% match totaling $2.086 million.”
- “The City is currently coordinating with the NCDOT Division 13 on the design and construction of a bike/ped bridge across the French Broad River that will parallel the existing Craven Street Bridge to the north (downstream).”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “The City of Asheville has been awarded a planning grant in the amount of $400,000 for the initial phase of the Stormwater Asset Inventory and Assessment Project.”
- “The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), funded from the State Fiscal Recovery Fund, was established in Session Law (S.L.) 2021-180 to assist eligible units of local government with meeting their drinking water and/or wastewater and/or stormwater infrastructure needs.”
- “This proposed new comprehensive asset inventory and condition assessment will replace or verify the existing data currently in use and upgrade the data to desired format for increased function.”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “Move to adopt a resolution authorizing the City Attorney to amend a contract with Hamilton Stephens Steele & Martin, PLLC for legal services by adding $111,000.00 for a total contract amount of $200,000.00.”
Changes the contract with Azteca Systems LLC to continue.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “Fiscal Year 2026 Cityworks licensing totaling $116,233.50; Year 2 extension will not exceed $130,000.00.”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- The money, in the minutes' words: “Action Requested: Adoption of resolution ratifying an amendment of the existing transit scheduling software contract between the City of Asheville and Remix/Via executed on January 1, 2026, that extended the contract for one-year in the amount of $27,400, for a new total contract amount of $123,400.”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- What the minutes say it will do: “This grant will align well with the solid waste master planning process, and tasks that remain unfunded, but needed, can be integrated into the long term solid waste plan.”
- “NCDEQ is currently accepting viable, well-planned proposals for projects that will expand, rebuild, or improve waste reduction, composting, and recycling programs to improve the resiliency of the region's waste reduction infrastructure.”
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
Passed with the routine items, in one vote, without discussion.
More from the minutes
- What the minutes say it will do: “The project will include numerous opportunities for public engagement and input/ feedback, including the formation of a project working group.”
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.