Asheville, NC-Today, Congressman Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville), Land Of Sky Officials and representatives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a $1.6 million grant award for Sustainable Housing and Community Planning in Western North Carolina.
The "WNC Livable Communities Consortium", coordinated by Land of Sky, will synchronize local community planning efforts to integrate housing, land use, economic and workforce development, transportation, and infrastructure investments. The group will create an Actionable Implementation Strategy that integrates existing plans into a comprehensive guide focusing on sustainable development throughout the region over the next twenty years.
"Our region has seen a great deal of population growth in recent years, as more and more people learn how great a home Western North Carolina can be," said Rep. Shuler. "As we develop, we must think strategically about land use, transportation and conservation. I was proud to support Land of Sky throughout the grant application process, and I congratulate them on this achievement that will have a long-lasting impact on our mountain communities."
The funding, won by Land of Sky through a competitive grant process, is part of $150 million allocated to HUD by Congress to establish a Sustainable Communities Initiative to improve regional planning efforts that integrate housing and transportation decisions. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are partners with HUD in the initiative.
Joe McKinney, Executive Director of Land-of-Sky Regional Council, said, "We are honored to be included as one of the forty-five regions in the nation to receive funding this important initiative. The WNC Livable Communities Initiative will be an unprecedented collaboration between local governments, area non-profits, the private sector and out region’s communities. The purpose of the initiative is to help design our region's future to ensure quality jobs, affordable housing, better transportation, cleaner energy, while preserving our region's environment and culture well into the 21st century. This endeavor would not have been possible without the support of our congressional delegation."
Members of the WNC Livable Communities Consortium members include the Land-of-Sky Regional Council, French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization, Land-of-Sky Rural Planning Organization (RPO), City of Asheville, Buncombe County, State of North Carolina, The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, AdvantageWest, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, Renaissance Computing Institute of the University of North Carolina at Asheville (RENCI), Asheville Housing Authority, Asheville-Buncombe Sustainable Communities Initiative of the Asheville Hub, and the Asheville Design Center.