ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Voters across Buncombe County, including Asheville, on Tuesday authorized $70 million in new local bonds for affordable housing and open space, while Henderson County separately backed a farmland preservation package.
Unofficial returns put the housing question at about 58 percent yes and the open-space question at about 64 percent yes. County leaders said a median homeowner would see roughly $25 a year tied to the housing debt and about $18 a year tied to the open-space debt.
The $40 million housing pot is meant for affordable projects. The $30 million open-space pot is earmarked for land protections, trail corridors and parks. With interest, Buncombe’s total tab for the two measures is projected near $111.1 million across the life of the debt.
A Vote Yes on Bonds committee that drew in the local chamber along with MountainTrue and Sierra Club chapters argued the twin measures keep strategic-plan work moving. Co-chair Leah Wong Ashburn, who leads Highland Brewing, said the county’s AAA credit ratings keep borrowing costs low.
Support was strong but softer than in 2022, when similar Buncombe housing and open-space questions passed with roughly 62 percent and 69 percent. Officials can now issue the debt as projects are ready rather than borrowing everything at once.
Next door, Henderson County voters approved a $25 million Open Space Preservation Bond with about 59 percent. That measure is designed to buy development rights from willing landowners through the Farmland Preservation Program, at an average yearly cost of about $40.40 for a home valued at $400,000.
Section: More Asheville NC politics news
Filed under: Asheville NC Politics News
