Asheville Mayor Targets Jobs, Housing in $1B Recovery

Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer isn't just rebuilding her city after Hurricane Helene. She's reimagining it as a place where teachers, nurses, and service workers can actually afford to live.

The city expects to receive roughly $1 billion in federal and state recovery funding over the next six years. Manheimer's vision channels that historic investment into three interconnected goals: affordable housing for everyday workers, resilient infrastructure that serves everyone equally, and local jobs that pay enough to keep up with rising costs.

The affordable housing push got a major boost when Asheville voters passed a housing bond, combined with millions in federal dollars secured through months of bipartisan negotiation in Washington. Manheimer traveled to the capital alongside other Western North Carolina leaders to personally advocate for the funding, which Congress finally approved in December 2024.

Now the real work begins. The mayor points to success stories like Haywood Street Congregation's downtown housing projects and Mountain Housing Opportunities' neighborhood developments as models for what's possible when public funding meets community need.

The recovery plan pays special attention to infrastructure that low and moderate-income residents depend on most. That means prioritizing basic services, environmental restoration, and quality-of-life improvements that make neighborhoods livable for everyone, not just those who can afford premium housing.

The Ripple Effect

Manheimer sees economic diversification as the key to lasting affordability. She highlights East Fork Pottery, a local company that's turned Asheville's creative reputation into expanding job opportunities for residents. The goal is simple: make sure remote workers relocating from elsewhere aren't the only ones who can afford to call Asheville home.

The mayor serves as co-chair of the Western North Carolina Recovery Committee, a role that amplifies the region's voice in state decisions. That partnership approach proved essential during the months-long effort to secure federal hurricane funding, and Manheimer believes it's equally critical for making sure those dollars actually reach communities.

Getting recovery money from federal coffers to local projects remains an ongoing challenge. But Manheimer's experience navigating Washington bureaucracy and maintaining relationships across party lines gives Asheville a fighting chance at turning paper promises into real progress.

The rebuilding timeline stretches six years into the future, offering a rare opportunity to address longstanding inequities while reconstructing what the storm destroyed. For elderly residents, people transitioning out of homelessness, and families earning modest incomes, the recovery could mean the difference between staying in Asheville and being priced out forever.

One billion dollars can transform a city or disappear into inefficiency. Asheville is betting on the former, with a mayor who's already proven she knows how to turn disaster into opportunity for the people who need it most.