The Long Range Planning Team (LRPT) continues to plan for a campus that can support the needs of our growing congregation. We are pleased to share that, due to persistent flooding of the 23 Edwin property (located at the corner of Edwin Place and Celia Place), FEMA has approved UU Asheville’s application for a buyout.

What does this mean? If the congregation approves the buyout, FEMA would purchase the 23 Edwin property and demolish the building. The property would then become city-owned permanent greenspace. Offices and meeting spaces currently located there would be relocated to temporary accommodations while space designed to appropriately meet the congregation’s needs was constructed. Proceeds from the FEMA buyout would help fund the construction.

Why is this being proposed? As previously shared with the congregation, the houses at 21 and 23 Edwin do not meet our current or future usage needs. Additionally, the property at 23 Edwin frequently floods, while the house at 21 Edwin has been uninhabitable for several years because of significant safety concerns and code violations that would be costly to address.

What’s Next? After meeting in September with FEMA and learning more details, the FEMA buyout proposal for 23 Edwin will be presented to the congregation for a vote for approval this fall. The LRPT is evaluating options for the house at 21 Edwin and will share its recommendations with the congregation soon.

The Long Range Planning Team remains committed to planning for a campus that is accessible, welcoming, and able to support the congregation’s growing needs for worship, connection, learning, and community action. Our goal is to create spaces where everyone who walks through our doors feels welcomed into a community rooted in faith and love.

–Ken Brame, LRPT Chair; Dan Carter, Holly Demuth, Marty Friedman, and Victoria Hoyland