Asheville Reporter

Asheville City Council members convened on February 13 and 14 for their annual retreat, focusing on Helene recovery priorities for the upcoming 18 months. During this two-day session, the council outlined guiding principles and a vision tailored to Helene Recovery.

The recovery vision was articulated as: "Rooted in resilience, Rising in unity, Repairing with care, Ready for tomorrow." The council agreed that these principles would guide all actions by the City Council and staff to achieve this vision.

The established guiding principles are: "Community centered," "Accountability & Transparency," "Maintaining Asheville’s uniqueness," "Innovation," "Strength, resilience," "Sustainability," and "Collaboration."

Four priority areas were identified for Helene Recovery: People, Housing, Infrastructure/Environment, and Economy. These priorities were informed by data from the community-based Helene Recovery Priorities Survey and input from a workshop held for Board and Commission chairs on February 4. Over 6,800 community members participated in the survey to voice their concerns as Asheville continues its recovery after Helene. Key areas of concern included strengthening infrastructure, expanding housing solutions, supporting economic recovery, enhancing food security, and maintaining a focus on sustainability.

Regarding next steps for Helene recovery priorities, the City Council discussed what success would look like both in one year and three years across People, Infrastructure/Environment, Housing, and Economy sectors. Facilitators and city staff will now summarize discussion notes to identify draft priority actions. These draft actions will be presented to the City Council at an upcoming work session.