Updates from the chapter
Asheville For All’s Endorsement for Asheville Mayor
Asheville For All is pleased to endorse Esther Manheimer for Asheville Mayor. This race seems unique to us, in that both candidates for mayor have been serving Asheville on its governing council for at least four years.
Asheville City Council Fall Election Endorsements
Asheville For All is pleased to endorse three candidates for Asheville City Council ahead of the November election: Maggie Ullman, Drew Ball, and Jeffrey Burroughs.
Asheville City Council - August 25th Meeting
At Asheville’s City Council meeting of Tuesday, August 25, 2026, the council unanimously approved three amendments to our zoning code: Duplexes in all residential zones Larger ADUs Elimination of…
Letter to Asheville City Council in Support of Zoning Text Amendments
Asheville For All sent the following letter to Asheville City Council ahead of the council’s August 25th meeting.
Asheville City Council - July 28th Meeting
Here’s what we found to be the most important housing-related items at Asheville’s City Council meeting of Tuesday, July 28, 2026. 3862 Sweeten Creek Road Outcome: Approved Votes:In favor: Esther E. Manheimer, S.
Asheville For All Endorses a “YES” Vote in November on the Buncombe County Affordable Housing Bond
We wrote recently about a November ballot proposal that North Carolinians should absolutely vote “NO” on.
There’s a lot happening in Asheville when it comes to housing policy right now! Join your pro-housing neighbors for informal discussion + learn how you can get involved. ashevilleforall.org/2026-07-23-m...
Asheville’s own “cesspool of sin” gets a shoutout in Justine Underhill’s new video on YouTube: youtu.be/Q1G3D55LD-E
The NC Senate voted in favor of eliminating costly parking minimums throughout most of the state. We’re now one step closer to abolishing these mandates that induce sprawl and making housing more scarce and more expensive.
Costly parking mandates keep Asheville’s housing scarce and its land use sprawling. Will City Council finally do away with them entirely this summer? avlwatchdog.org/with-39-of-d...
Letter in Opposition to the Re-Allocation of CDBG-DR Funds
Asheville For All sent the following letter to Asheville City Council and the city’s Community Development Division, in response to a call for public input.
What does a statewide ballot question have to do with housing justice? Find out in Asheville For All’s latest voting recommendation: ashevilleforall.org/2026-06-02-b...
Events
Who we're endorsing
We haven't made our endorsements for this cycle yetMembers vote on every endorsement. Join the chapter to help decide who we back.
Resources
Guides and reference from Asheville for All.
Make Your Voice Heard! Asheville City Council Public Comment Info
Delivering a public comment to Asheville City Council is one of the best ways to make your voice heard when it comes Asheville’s housing issues.
But if you’ve never done it, it can be a little intimidating. Here’s some information that we think will be useful.
Got questions? Or suggestions for this page? Please send us a line!
Getting the Info
Planning to speak on an issue? You’ll want to check the Asheville City Council website here to make sure that you’ve got the right date, or that the agenda hasn’t changed last minute.
Planning What to Say
You should speak from the heart—say what you want to say!
That said, here’s some tips to think about:
- You definitely don’t need to fill up the full three minutes that you are allowed.
- Personal stories are always effective. If you don’t have a story to tell about yourself, you might have one to tell about a friend or a relative.
- Try to balance negative sentiment (“there’s a housing shortage! 😱”) with positive sentiment. (Things that you love about your neighborhood, a prior neighborhood you lived in, or about multifamily housing in general; or what lower housing costs might mean for you or others.)
- If other speakers are speaking against what you are talking about, weigh carefully whether or not you want to respond to their talking points. Sometimes it’s better not to!
You may choose to read from pre-written comments—either on your phone, tablet, or paper—and that’s totally fine.
Getting to the City Council Meeting
City Council meets on the second floor of City Hall.
Free parking is available in two of the city staff lots just south of City Hall, starting at 4:30pm the day of each meeting.
Free parking for Asheville City Council meetings is available at 55 Valley Street and 17 Marjorie Street. Just be sure not to park in the far west section noted on the map—there’s signs telling you not to—as that’s reserved for the Asheville Police Department.
If the night’s agenda brings a high turnout, you may need to park somewhere else. The Buncombe County garage on the north side of College Street is a safe bet if you don’t want to circle the blocks looking for street spots.
When to Arrive?
City council meetings start at 5pm, but you don’t necessarily need to be there when the meeting begins. In fact, if the agenda is particularly long that night, and the agenda item that you’re interested in is further down, you might choose to get there late on purpose.
About Asheville for All
Asheville For All is a volunteer-run grassroots organization. It was established in Spring of 2022.
We’re led by Asheville area residents who are deeply concerned about housing scarcity and the lack of housing choice and affordability that come with it.
There are no businesses, lobbyists, interest groups, or venture capitalists funding our efforts. We take no marching orders, except from Asheville area community members desperate for more housing options and lower costs.
Our power lies with people like you. Stay up to date on what you can do for housing abundance by filling out the email form on the .
Asheville For All is a chapter of , a nationwide network fighting for housing abundance. Becoming a member of YIMBY Action automatically makes you a member of Asheville For All.
How we work
Reform the rules
Back zoning reform and streamlined permitting so more homes are legal to build, especially near transit and jobs.
Educate & engage
Turn out residents to the meetings that matter and make it easy to take a pro-housing position on local projects.
Build partnerships
Work with neighbors, labor, faith groups, and builders toward a shared abundant-housing agenda.
Asheville for All is a chapter of YIMBY Action.
One of the local groups organizing for more homes across the country, backed by the national team.