City of Asheville Housing Needs Assessment Author: Patrick M. Bowen, President & Lead Contact 155 E. Columbus Street, Ste. 220 | Pickerington, Ohio 43147 Phone: (614) 833-9300 |
[email protected] www.bowennational.com ASHEVILLE A. Introduction The focus of this analysis is to assess the market characteristics of, and to determine the housing needs for the city of Asheville, North Carolina. To accomplish this task, Bowen National Research evaluated various socio-economic characteristics, inventoried and analyzed the housing supply (rental and owner/for-sale product), conducted stakeholder interviews, evaluated special needs populations and provided housing gap estimates to help identify the housing needs of the city. To provide a base of comparison, various metrics of Asheville were compared with overall four-county region that includes the counties of Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania. A detailed comparison of the city of Asheville in relation with four subject counties is provided in the region analysis portion of the Asheville Overall Housing Needs Assessment. B. City Overview Asheville is located within Buncombe County and is the county seat. The city is the region’s largest city and the 11th largest city in the state, and serves as the employment, retail, and cultural center of the overall region. It encompasses a total of 45.3 square miles. Primary thoroughfares within or near the city include U.S. Highways 23, 25 and 74, and Interstate Highways 26, 40 and 240. Notable city attractions include the Asheville Central Business District, U.S. Cellular Center (Civic Center), River Arts District, Grove Arcade, Asheville Community Theatre, Pack Square Cultural District, Botanical Gardens at Asheville, University of North Carolina-Asheville as well as numerous parks, entertainment venues and museums.