Thanks to the insistent efforts of Council member Bo Hess, the City of Asheville appears poised to finally address abandoned properties. This is a long overdue step that deserves recognition. Vacant and neglected buildings sap neighborhood vitality, invite misconduct and symbolize civic neglect. But as the city considers an abandoned building ordinance, we should be clear-eyed about the path we choose. Enforcement-heavy approaches like those proposed in the Jan. 29 meeting of the Public Safety Committee may tidy spreadsheets, but they miss the deeper opportunity: empowering the community to rehabilitate these buildings and return them to productive, place-based use.
The current proposed ordinance treats the issue as a liability to be managed or erased. In reality, these buildings are assets, and they have stories waiting to be heard. These structures are overlooked not because they lack value, but because those with financial and regulatory resources frequently lack imagination and urgency. Asheville’s strengths lie in creativity, collaboration and community. Any ordinance should build on those strengths rather than bypass them.
A more effective approach would center on community conservatorship instead of defaulting to fines, receivership or demolition. The city should make it possible — and attractive — for neighbors, nonprofits and local organizations to take responsibility for abandoned properties and steward them back into use. This model, which would rely on utilizing existing eminent domain ordinances, has precedent, and it works…