Strategic Housing Plan

Overview

The City’s Strategic Housing Plan was developed with guidance from City Council and a volunteer steering committee made up of community stakeholders and housing providers. The plan was informed by the UNC School of Government’s Development Finance Initiative (DFI) housing needs assessment, affordable housing expert Shane Phillips, and extensive community input from Henderson County residents. Funding for the plan was provided through a grant from Dogwood Health Trust.

The Hendersonville City Council adopted the City's first Strategic Housing Plan in December 2025.

View the Strategic Housing Plan (PDF, 3 MB)

View an overview handout of the Strategic Housing Plan (PDF, 987 KB)

Faces of Housing in Hendersonville

Housing Dashboard

View the City's Housing Dashboard

Strategic Housing Plan Steering Committee

Affordable housing and the development of a strategic housing plan is a priority for the Hendersonville City Council. City Council appointed a Strategic Housing Plan Steering Committee to guide the plan development process which began in 2024.

We appreciate these community leaders for serving on the committee!

Sarah Cosgrove
Jennifer Duvall
Carsten Erkel
Sheila Franklin
Robert Hooper
Madeline Offen
Hilary Paradise
Debi Smith
Connie Stewart

Resources

View the 2026 Housing Summit to learn more about the City's Strategic Housing Plan.

The future of affordable housing in Henderson County took center stage on Thursday, May 16, 2024, as the community gathered for the City of Hendersonville’s first housing summit with key note speaker Shane Phillips.

Updates

The City of Hendersonville hosted City Splash Day at Sullivan Park which included a resource fair. A Strategic Housing Plan tent as well as tents from local non-profits shared resources with the community.

Fire truck and resource tents at a community splash day event

This event featured an overview of the City of Hendersonville’s community-driven Strategic Housing Plan, updates on new housing initiatives, and an opportunity to provide input to strengthen collaboration around housing affordability challenges. The summit also served as the premiere of "Faces of Housing in Hendersonville."

On December 4, 2025, the Hendersonville City Council adopted their first Strategic Housing Plan. Staff will be compiling the plan into its final document form. We appreciate all the community input and work from the Strategic Planning Steering Committee that went into the plan's creation.

The draft Strategic Housing Plan was presented to City Council on October 22, 2025. City Council will be providing their feedback with expected adoption at their December 2025 meeting.

The Strategic Housing Plan Steering Committee held their workshop meeting on August 22nd. Staff and facilitators presented the concepts and strategies that had been gathered from the committee, public engagement sessions, public survey, housing experts, and best practices. Committee members provided feedback and helped prioritize items for short, mid, and long range implementation.

Workshop Meeting of Strategic Housing Committee

Learn how Hendersonville’s Community Development Department is making more housing options possible through Zoning Text Amendments!

If you would like to find out how you can use your property to create additional missing middle housing, contact Long-Range Planning Manager Matthew Manley at mmanley@hvlnc.gov (828) 697-3064.

Watch the Special Called Strategic Housing Plan Meeting.

Read the February Strategic Housing Plan Newsletter(opens in a new tab)

Meeting topics for May 30 include:

Presentation from the UNC School of Government Development Finance Initiative
Presentation regarding Strategic Housing Options
Zoning Text Amendment Update
Presentation and discussion on the draft Strategic Housing Plan

Watch the February Strategic Housing Plan Steering Committee meeting for the following:

Bowen Study Update
Water & Sewer Utility Affordability Presentation
Proposed Small Lots & Flag Lots Presentation

Check out the January Strategic Housing Plan Steering Committee Meeting for the following:

Hendersonville Real Estate Market Update
Community Input Report
Our State, Our Home Grant
Strategic Housing Plan Update

Watch the December Strategic Housing Plan Steering Committee Meeting for presentations on Hendersonville Housing Authority, WNCSource and Landlord-Tenant Law.

Read the September Strategic Housing Plan Newsletter

View the DFI Housing Needs Assessment (PDF, 4 MB)

Read the November Strategic Housing Plan Newsletter

The UNC School of Government Development Finance Initiative (DFI) has conducted a housing needs assessment for the City of Hendersonville.

Watch the presentation from the November Strategic Housing Plan Steering Committee meeting. A big takeaway is that Henderson County has demand for 10,000 housing units over the next five years.

Read the July Strategic Housing Plan Newsletter(opens in a new tab)

Read the June Strategic Housing Plan Newsletter

The Strategic Housing Plan Committee’s regular meeting schedule is the third Monday of each month at 4:00 PM and staying involved just got easier! The meetings have been moved to a larger room at City Operations (305 Williams Street) to accommodate partners and community members who want to learn alongside our committee throughout the process.
The committee meetings held at Operations will now offer virtual viewing options through Zoom. Visit the event calendar for login details.
For the June 17th Meeting, we are expecting a representative from the UNC School of Government’s Development Finance Initiative (DFI) to go over the technical assistance they can provide in assisting our City with identifying and prioritizing sites for future affordable housing development. Tune in or join us in person on Monday, June 17th at 4:00 PM.