About the Questionnaire
Get There Asheville is a city council questionnaire and candidate forums presented in partnership by Asheville on Bikes, MountainTrue, and Strong Towns, Asheville, focused on the interconnected issues that shape how Asheville grows and how residents experience our city—housing, mobility, resilience, and land use.
The questionnaire is organized into six sections: Introductions, Growth Patterns & Housing, Complete Streets, Transit, Greenways & Trails, & Reconstruction.
Leadership & Experience
- What would you like people to know about how you listen, learn, and lead?
- How do you most often travel around Asheville in your daily life, and how does that shape your experience of the city?
- What does equitable transportation investment look like to you in Asheville, and what experiences have informed how you think about it?
Growth Patterns & Housing
These questions are informed by the Elevate 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, Asheville Missing Middle & Displacement Risk Assessment, and Living Asheville: A Comprehensive Plan for the Future.
- Federal transportation dollars to improve Asheville’s streets, sidewalks, and highways are spent according to plans developed by our local Metropolitan Planning Organization.The recently approved Elevate 2050 plan lays out 3 potential growth scenarios for our area: Business as Usual, Consolidated Growth, and Dispersed Growth. Of these three scenarios, which do you think would be the best growth pattern for the Asheville area?
- Business as Usual
- Consolidated Growth
- Dispersed Growth
- Share more about why you selected this growth pattern.
- Do you accept the premise that housing growth is a strategy to prevent displacement?
- Share more about your views on housing growth and displacement.
- Research has shown that cities that create more housing options for renters through building multi-family housing do a better job at preventing and reducing homelessness. Do you think allowing middle housing types like duplexes and quadplexes by right in all residential neighborhoods would be an effective strategy to create more affordable housing in Asheville?
- Share more about your position on missing middle housing as use by right.
Complete Streets
These questions are informed by Asheville’s Complete Street Policy.
- When you think about “complete streets” in Asheville, what does that idea mean to you in practice? Can you share an example of a place where you think we’re getting it right—or could do better?
- Aside from budgetary constraints, what’s one barrier you see to Asheville becoming a safer city for people who walk, bike, use micromobility and/or assistive mobility devices?
Transit
This question is informed by the ongoing ART Comprehensive Operational Analysis.
- Asheville is in the middle of a Comprehensive Operational Analysis of our bus system. Residents were recently asked to consider two different network concepts: a coverage concept and a ridership concept. Which concept do you prefer for Asheville?
- Ridership
- Coverage
- Share more about your position regarding ridership or coverage.
Greenways & Trails
These questions are informed by Asheville’s Close the Gap Plan, Recreate Asheville, and The Hellbender Regional Plan.
- What informs your vision for Asheville’s trails and greenways, and how would you move that vision forward?
- In your view, can investments in greenways and trails support affordability in Asheville—and where should we be thoughtful or cautious?
Reconstruction
These questions are informed by Asheville’s acceptance of Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery and the ongoing French Broad & Azalea Parks Recovery Project.
- The City has been allocated $225 million in CDBG-DR (Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery) funds from HUD to aid our recovery from Hurricane Helene. HUD approved the city’s initial plan to spend $125 million on infrastructure, $52 million on Economic Revitalization, and $31 million on housing. Within the $31 million to be spent on housing, $28 million is dedicated to building affordable housing while the remaining $3 million is for single family home repair. Recently, the city has proposed shifting over half of the funds originally planned for affordable housing construction over to single family home repair. Would you support that proposed change?
- Yes – I support shifting over half of funds dedicated to affordable housing construction to single family home repair.
- No – I do not support shifting over half of funds dedicated to affordable housing construction to single family home repair.
- Share more about your position regarding affordable multi-family construction vs. single family home repair.
- Director D. Tyrell McGrit recently shared an update with City Council on the Riverfront Parks Recovery outreach and findings at the Jan. 13, 2026 City Council Work Session. What stands out to you about the work so far, and why?
Candidate Responses
Candidate responses will be posted to this page in the order they are received.
Leadership & Experience
- What would you like people to know about how you listen, learn, and lead?
- There’s such a balance to all of this. I’m a voracious learner. That means listening is a tool for learning. Learning gives you energy and the ability to build connections, to share and make collaboration. When you put your energy into that, leading becomes easy. It’s finding your shared values, finding what’s important, and putting forward a vision, not as one, but as many.
- How do you most often travel around Asheville in your daily life, and how does that shape your experience of the city?
- Mostly car and car seats. I’m a once-a-month bus rider even though I live between two bus routes. I’m a former bike messenger, and I have lived outside of what’s ‘bikeable Asheville’ for the last 7 years, much to my dismay. I have a deep love and respect for biking, and would prefer it to be the primary mode of transportation, but that requires a radical reshifting of how we organize cities.
- What does equitable transportation investment look like to you in Asheville, and what experiences have informed how you think about it?
- I’m interested in having roads that kill less people. I know it sounds particularly severe. But for me, that’s where equitable starts. Our streets are designed in such a way that people die from them, especially because there’s a racial component to who dies on Asheville’s streets. Moving people from one place to another has to start with safety, regardless of the mode of transportation.
Growth Patterns & Housing
These questions are informed by the Elevate 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, Asheville Missing Middle & Displacement Risk Assessment, and Living Asheville: A Comprehensive Plan for the Future.
- Federal transportation dollars to improve Asheville’s streets, sidewalks, and highways are spent according to plans developed by our local Metropolitan Planning Organization.The recently approved Elevate 2050 plan lays out 3 potential growth scenarios for our area: Business as Usual, Consolidated Growth, and Dispersed Growth. Of these three scenarios, which do you think would be the best growth pattern for the Asheville area?
- Consolidated Growth
- Share more about why you selected this growth pattern.
- Here’s the nuance time: I’m absolutely in favor of transit oriented development. I think that, when possible, we should strive for that goal. If we want to reduce emissions, if we want to meet climate goals, if we want to actually make our transit budget work for us to reduce congestion, improve our downtown, we have to make that a priority.
- Do you accept the premise that housing growth is a strategy to prevent displacement? (Yes or No)
- No
- Share more about your views on housing growth and displacement.
- Since 2008, we’ve hit our affordable housing goal once (500/year). In 2023, but came nowhere close in 2022 or 2024. In 2016, there was a goal of 2800 affordable units by 2022. We hit around 250. But we’ve added a massive influx of market rate housing over the past 5 years, and rent went up and they’re not able to be rented on the wages in Buncombe County. That disparity given demand, creates displacement.
- Research has shown that cities that create more housing options for renters through building multi-family housing do a better job at preventing and reducing homelessness. Do you think allowing middle housing types like duplexes and quadplexes by right in all residential neighborhoods would be an effective strategy to create more affordable housing in Asheville? (Yes or No)
- Yes
- Share more about your position on missing middle housing as use by right.
- Density without affordability is just gentrification. My platform focuses on fast-tracking 100% affordable MMH. By financing through a city backed credit union and structuring them as co-ops, we can remove MMH from speculative markets. When we do this, we can use this housing for displaced families, current residents, and local workers first, ensuring that new density goes to our neighbors first with an actually affordable long term housing cost.
Complete Streets
These questions are informed by Asheville’s Complete Street Policy.
- When you think about “complete streets” in Asheville, what does that idea mean to you in practice? Can you share an example of a place where you think we’re getting it right—or could do better?
- Is it usable? Can people walk, bike, transit, is the usage of it in the best interest for the people. Is it safe? Can my kids be there? Is there a sidewalk? What’s the speed limit?
I’m sure there’s another one, but the only, truly complete street I can think of is Wall Street.
- Is it usable? Can people walk, bike, transit, is the usage of it in the best interest for the people. Is it safe? Can my kids be there? Is there a sidewalk? What’s the speed limit?
- Aside from budgetary constraints, what’s one barrier you see to Asheville becoming a safer city for people who walk, bike, use micromobility and/or assistive mobility devices?
- Sidewalks. Period. It’s sidewalks. I have a friend who uses a scooter in West Asheville, and his biggest problem (besides the hills), is the lack of sidewalks that are functional. Otherwise he’s often on the side of the road with minimal protection. He’s not agile like me, and he’s significantly more at risk, especially with the speed cars travel in town.
Transit
This question is informed by the ongoing ART Comprehensive Operational Analysis.
- Asheville is in the middle of a Comprehensive Operational Analysis of our bus system. Residents were recently asked to consider two different network concepts: a coverage concept and a ridership concept. Which concept do you prefer for Asheville?
- Ridership
- Share more about your position regarding ridership or coverage.
- I’m probably closer to 75/25 ridership to coverage. But I think that that balance can (and should) change as our needs change and ridership/density patterns change.
But seriously: Fare box recovery is under 4% for ART. I think it’s time we actually had the conversation on it being a public service, like snow removal, instead of it being a revenue generator. That’ll improve dwell time, usage, and is a net benefit for the city and tourism.
- I’m probably closer to 75/25 ridership to coverage. But I think that that balance can (and should) change as our needs change and ridership/density patterns change.
Greenways & Trails
These questions are informed by Asheville’s Close the Gap Plan, Recreate Asheville, and The Hellbender Regional Plan.
- What informs your vision for Asheville’s trails and greenways, and how would you move that vision forward?
- Actually do them. We’re a city filled with pride over the mountains we live in. We stay here because it’s home, and preserving our trails and greenways isn’t just part of our identity, it’s a vital part in our resilience against climate change and environmental destruction. They’re part of our safety, our joy, our home. Greenways aren’t a ‘nice to have’, they’re a comprehensive part of transportation here. They’re part of our recovery.
- In your view, can investments in greenways and trails support affordability in Asheville—and where should we be thoughtful or cautious?
- It’s so tricky. We’ve seen how good trails and greenways spike property values and displace the communities they’re meant to serve. We must be thoughtful about pairing investment with anti-displacement policies similar to the ones I propose, and ensure that affordable housing is preserved. These networks are part of a long term plan of reducing our car-dependence, and without starting it, we won’t ever get there. It just has to be balanced.
Reconstruction
These questions are informed by Asheville’s acceptance of Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery and the ongoing French Broad & Azalea Parks Recovery Project.
- The City has been allocated $225 million in CDBG-DR (Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery) funds from HUD to aid our recovery from Hurricane Helene. HUD approved the city’s initial plan to spend $125 million on infrastructure, $52 million on Economic Revitalization, and $31 million on housing. Within the $31 million to be spent on housing, $28 million is dedicated to building affordable housing while the remaining $3 million is for single family home repair. Recently, the city has proposed shifting over half of the funds originally planned for affordable housing construction over to single family home repair. Would you support that proposed change?
- No – I do not support shifting over half of funds dedicated to affordable housing construction to single family home repair.
- Share more about your position regarding affordable multi-family construction vs. single family home repair.
- First of all, the priorities are ACTUALLY backwards. $52m for housing, $31m for Revitalization, please and thank you.
Data shows ~$35m in damage is from ~400 flood damaged homes. Shifting funds to repair rebuilds SFH’s in danger zones seems unwise. We should fund land swaps to move victims into new, co-operative housing units per my housing plan on higher ground instead of rebuilding. New & safe housing for those impacted most.
- First of all, the priorities are ACTUALLY backwards. $52m for housing, $31m for Revitalization, please and thank you.
- Director D. Tyrell McGrit recently shared an update with City Council on the Riverfront Parks Recovery outreach and findings at the Jan. 13, 2026 City Council Work Session. What stands out to you about the work so far, and why?
- I think the MO is pretty good for how they’re organizing this, open house, survey, pop-up events at impacted neighborhoods, discussion groups… to try to navigate enthusiast groups. Flood Resilience as design? Absolutely critical for the long term. This won’t be the last flood in our lifetime. The long term strategy I think connecting pieces of parks is ideal as a neighborhood connector.
Leadership & Experience
- What would you like people to know about how you listen, learn, and lead?
- I listen by showing up, asking specific questions, and staying grounded in what residents experience, not what sounds good in a meeting. I learn by doing the homework, reading the details, and testing ideas against what the city can actually implement. I lead by turning input into action, setting clear goals, and delivering results with transparency and accountability.
- How do you most often travel around Asheville in your daily life, and how does that shape your experience of the city?
- Most days I travel by car. Earlier in my life I relied on the bus until about age 24, so I know what it means when transit is the difference between opportunity and being stuck. That experience shapes my view that mobility is access to work, school, health care, and daily life.
- What does equitable transportation investment look like to you in Asheville, and what experiences have informed how you think about it?
- Equitable transportation means a city where everyday riders are safe, not just the fearless few. Build connected protected bike routes on real corridors, safer intersections, traffic calming, and quick build fixes on high crash streets, starting in underserved areas. Treat every repaving as Complete Streets. I rode the bus until 24, so I know mobility is access.
Growth Patterns & Housing
These questions are informed by the Elevate 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, Asheville Missing Middle & Displacement Risk Assessment, and Living Asheville: A Comprehensive Plan for the Future.
- Federal transportation dollars to improve Asheville’s streets, sidewalks, and highways are spent according to plans developed by our local Metropolitan Planning Organization.The recently approved Elevate 2050 plan lays out 3 potential growth scenarios for our area: Business as Usual, Consolidated Growth, and Dispersed Growth. Of these three scenarios, which do you think would be the best growth pattern for the Asheville area?
- Consolidated Growth
- Share more about why you selected this growth pattern.
- I selected Consolidated Growth because it is the most fiscally responsible and the most livable. Concentrating growth where infrastructure already exists lowers per household costs for roads, water, sewer, and stormwater. It also makes transit, sidewalks, and bike networks work better because destinations are closer, reducing traffic and vehicle miles traveled.
- Do you accept the premise that housing growth is a strategy to prevent displacement? (Yes or No)
- Yes
- Share more about your views on housing growth and displacement.
- Yes, with a clear condition. Housing growth can prevent displacement only if we build enough homes fast enough and pair that growth with affordability protections. More supply reduces upward pressure on rents, but without permanent affordability tools and anti displacement strategies, growth can still price people out. The strategy has to be both. Build more and lock in protections so existing residents benefit.
- Research has shown that cities that create more housing options for renters through building multi-family housing do a better job at preventing and reducing homelessness. Do you think allowing middle housing types like duplexes and quadplexes by right in all residential neighborhoods would be an effective strategy to create more affordable housing in Asheville? (Yes or No)
- Yes
- Share more about your position on missing middle housing as use by right.
- Yes, with guardrails. By right duplexes to quadplexes can expand options and add gentle density without massive redevelopment, which helps relieve rent pressure. It should be paired with clear objective standards, faster permitting, and infrastructure alignment, plus affordability and anti displacement tools so existing residents benefit.
Complete Streets
These questions are informed by Asheville’s Complete Street Policy.
- When you think about “complete streets” in Asheville, what does that idea mean to you in practice? Can you share an example of a place where you think we’re getting it right—or could do better?
- Complete streets means designing every project for safe access for all users, walkers, people with disabilities, transit riders, cyclists, and drivers, not just moving cars fast. It is a project standard. Every resurfacing should include safer crossings, continuous sidewalks, ADA ramps, better bus stop access, and connected bike routes. Merrimon is a place we can do better with safer speeds and crossings.
- Aside from budgetary constraints, what’s one barrier you see to Asheville becoming a safer city for people who walk, bike, use micromobility and/or assistive mobility devices?
- One barrier is inconsistent implementation. Asheville has a Complete Streets policy, but safety still gets decided project by project. Without clear standards and accountability, we get gaps, missing connections, and designs that do not feel safe for everyday walkers, riders, and people using assistive devices. Safety elements should be the default, not debated from scratch each time.
Transit
This question is informed by the ongoing ART Comprehensive Operational Analysis.
- Asheville is in the middle of a Comprehensive Operational Analysis of our bus system. Residents were recently asked to consider two different network concepts: a coverage concept and a ridership concept. Which concept do you prefer for Asheville?
- Ridership
- Share more about your position regarding ridership or coverage.
- I prefer the ridership concept. Frequency and reliability are what make transit usable for working people, students, and seniors. In a resource constrained system, concentrating service on the strongest corridors creates a dependable core network that more people will actually use. We should pair that with targeted solutions so areas with less fixed route frequency still have access through strong connections and first and last mile options.
Greenways & Trails
These questions are informed by Asheville’s Close the Gap Plan, Recreate Asheville, and The Hellbender Regional Plan.
- What informs your vision for Asheville’s trails and greenways, and how would you move that vision forward?
- My vision is trails and greenways as transportation and public health infrastructure, not just recreation. They should connect neighborhoods to schools, jobs, transit, parks, and commercial areas with safe crossings and ADA access. To move it forward I would prioritize gap closing connections, coordinate funding and right of way, build segments in connected phases, and fund maintenance so the network stays usable.
- In your view, can investments in greenways and trails support affordability in Asheville—and where should we be thoughtful or cautious?
- Yes. Greenways can support affordability by lowering transportation costs and improving access to jobs and services without requiring a car. We should be cautious about displacement. Public investments can raise nearby property values, so pair greenways with anti displacement and permanent affordability tools. Also avoid disconnected segments and fund maintenance so the network stays safe and usable.
Reconstruction
These questions are informed by Asheville’s acceptance of Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery and the ongoing French Broad & Azalea Parks Recovery Project.
- The City has been allocated $225 million in CDBG-DR (Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery) funds from HUD to aid our recovery from Hurricane Helene. HUD approved the city’s initial plan to spend $125 million on infrastructure, $52 million on Economic Revitalization, and $31 million on housing. Within the $31 million to be spent on housing, $28 million is dedicated to building affordable housing while the remaining $3 million is for single family home repair. Recently, the city has proposed shifting over half of the funds originally planned for affordable housing construction over to single family home repair. Would you support that proposed change?
- Yes – I support shifting over half of funds dedicated to affordable housing construction to single family home repair.
- Share more about your position regarding affordable multi-family construction vs. single family home repair.
- Yes, ONLY if the data shows the fastest way to keep the most families housed is filling documented insurance and FEMA gaps through ReNew NC. The shift must be tightly targeted to income qualified owner occupied households with verified gaps, include anti flipping guardrails, and include a parallel plan that preserves enough affordable housing construction so renters are not sacrificed and the long term affordability pipeline is not broken.
- Director D. Tyrell McGrit recently shared an update with City Council on the Riverfront Parks Recovery outreach and findings at the Jan. 13, 2026 City Council Work Session. What stands out to you about the work so far, and why?
- What stands out is that the outreach is framing riverfront parks and greenways as recovery infrastructure, not just amenities, with a clear demand for resilient rebuilding and strong walking, biking, and greenway connections. It also stands out that Director McGirt flagged an engagement imbalance, with a few special interest groups showing up heavily, and a need to elevate underrepresented voices.
Leadership & Experience
- What would you like people to know about how you listen, learn, and lead?
- I lead by listening first and acting with intention. My approach is grounded in direct engagement with residents, small businesses, and community organizations, especially those most impacted by policy decisions. I value data, lived experience, and accountability. Good leadership means adapting when something isn’t working and focusing on outcomes, not just plans.
- How do you most often travel around Asheville in your daily life, and how does that shape your experience of the city?
- I live in West Asheville, and when we travel to West Asheville, the River Arts District, or downtown, we often walk or bike when weather allows. After nearly twenty years in New York City, walkability became central to how I experience a city. Walking connects us to neighbors and small businesses and makes gaps in safety, access, and connectivity easy to see.
- What does equitable transportation investment look like to you in Asheville, and what experiences have informed how you think about it?
- Equitable transportation investment means building systems that work for people who rely on them every day. That includes safe sidewalks, reliable transit, bike infrastructure, and streets that protect pedestrians, seniors, and people with disabilities. My perspective comes from living car-light and working with people who depend on transit and walkability.
Growth Patterns & Housing
These questions are informed by the Elevate 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, Asheville Missing Middle & Displacement Risk Assessment, and Living Asheville: A Comprehensive Plan for the Future.
- Federal transportation dollars to improve Asheville’s streets, sidewalks, and highways are spent according to plans developed by our local Metropolitan Planning Organization.The recently approved Elevate 2050 plan lays out 3 potential growth scenarios for our area: Business as Usual, Consolidated Growth, and Dispersed Growth. Of these three scenarios, which do you think would be the best growth pattern for the Asheville area?
- Consolidated Growth
- Share more about why you selected this growth pattern.
- Consolidated growth best aligns housing, transportation, infrastructure, and climate resilience. Focusing growth near jobs, services, and transit reduces sprawl, lowers infrastructure costs, and supports walking, biking, and transit. It improves affordability by adding housing where people already live and work while protecting rural areas and watersheds.
- Do you accept the premise that housing growth is a strategy to prevent displacement? (Yes or No)
- Yes
- Share more about your views on housing growth and displacement.
- When housing supply does not keep pace with demand, displacement increases. Thoughtful housing growth can reduce pressure on rents and prices while creating more options across income levels. Growth must be paired with anti-displacement strategies and preservation of existing affordable housing. Location matters. Housing near jobs, transit, and services keeps people connected to opportunity. Delay and inaction worsen displacement.
- Research has shown that cities that create more housing options for renters through building multi-family housing do a better job at preventing and reducing homelessness. Do you think allowing middle housing types like duplexes and quadplexes by right in all residential neighborhoods would be an effective strategy to create more affordable housing in Asheville? (Yes or No)
- Yes
- Share more about your position on missing middle housing as use by right.
- Allowing missing middle housing by right is key to expanding housing options and affordability. Duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes were once common in Asheville and add gentle density without changing neighborhood character. By right rules reduce cost and uncertainty for homeowners and small builders. These homes support walkability, transit, and efficient infrastructure. Missing middle housing is not the only solution, but it is necessary.
Complete Streets
These questions are informed by Asheville’s Complete Street Policy.
- When you think about “complete streets” in Asheville, what does that idea mean to you in practice? Can you share an example of a place where you think we’re getting it right—or could do better?
- Complete streets mean designing roads for everyone, not just cars, including people who walk, bike, use transit, or mobility devices. That means safe crossings, connected sidewalks, protected bike lanes, and slower speeds where people live and work. We are getting it right in parts of downtown and some newer corridors, but too many streets still have gaps or unsafe crossings. Streets should feel safe and intuitive, not like an afterthought.
- Aside from budgetary constraints, what’s one barrier you see to Asheville becoming a safer city for people who walk, bike, use micromobility and/or assistive mobility devices?
- A major barrier is prioritizing vehicle speed over safety and access. Too often, projects favor cars instead of the people using streets every day. Another challenge is siloed decision-making, where transportation, land use, and public works are not aligned. We need clear safety-first standards and accountability. Streets reflect values, and people should come first.
Transit
This question is informed by the ongoing ART Comprehensive Operational Analysis.
- Asheville is in the middle of a Comprehensive Operational Analysis of our bus system. Residents were recently asked to consider two different network concepts: a coverage concept and a ridership concept. Which concept do you prefer for Asheville?
- Ridership
- Share more about your position regarding ridership or coverage.
- I support a ridership-focused network because frequent, reliable service is what makes transit usable for daily life. Transit that connects major destinations and runs often builds trust and increases ridership. Coverage still matters for equity, seniors, and people with limited mobility. The goal is a strong ridership backbone paired with targeted coverage solutions so transit is dependable and easy to use.
Greenways & Trails
These questions are informed by Asheville’s Close the Gap Plan, Recreate Asheville, and The Hellbender Regional Plan.
- What informs your vision for Asheville’s trails and greenways, and how would you move that vision forward?
- Greenways and trails should function as transportation, recreation, and resilience infrastructure. They connect neighborhoods, offer safe alternatives to driving, and improve quality of life. My vision is a connected network that serves everyday needs, not just recreation. Progress means closing gaps, linking housing, schools, and jobs, coordinating across jurisdictions, and centering equity and community input.
- In your view, can investments in greenways and trails support affordability in Asheville—and where should we be thoughtful or cautious?
- Yes, greenways can support affordability by reducing transportation costs and improving access to opportunity. However, we must be careful about displacement and rising land values near new investments. Greenway planning should be paired with housing protections and affordability strategies. Infrastructure should benefit existing residents, not price them out. Thoughtful sequencing and policy alignment matter.
Reconstruction
These questions are informed by Asheville’s acceptance of Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery and the ongoing French Broad & Azalea Parks Recovery Project.
- The City has been allocated $225 million in CDBG-DR (Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery) funds from HUD to aid our recovery from Hurricane Helene. HUD approved the city’s initial plan to spend $125 million on infrastructure, $52 million on Economic Revitalization, and $31 million on housing. Within the $31 million to be spent on housing, $28 million is dedicated to building affordable housing while the remaining $3 million is for single family home repair. Recently, the city has proposed shifting over half of the funds originally planned for affordable housing construction over to single family home repair. Would you support that proposed change?
- No – I do not support shifting over half of funds dedicated to affordable housing construction to single family home repair.
- Share more about your position regarding affordable multi-family construction vs. single family home repair.
- Both affordable housing construction and home repair are essential to preventing displacement after Hurricane Helene. Repair funding must expand so vulnerable residents can stay in their homes. Shifting most funds away from affordable housing risks worsening long-term shortages. The right approach is a balanced recovery that supports repairs, protects affordable housing, and seeks additional funding rather than a zero-sum choice.
- Director D. Tyrell McGrit recently shared an update with City Council on the Riverfront Parks Recovery outreach and findings at the Jan. 13, 2026 City Council Work Session. What stands out to you about the work so far, and why?
- What stands out is the level of community engagement and the recognition that recovery must be both ecological and social. The process has centered listening, transparency, and long-term resilience. The focus on floodplain function, access, and public benefit reflects lessons learned from Helene. It is encouraging to see recovery framed as an opportunity to do better, not just restore what was lost. That mindset is essential moving forward.