On Wednesday, May 27, 2026, the City of Hendersonville held its 2nd annual Housing Summit. City Council members unveiled the community-driven Strategic Housing Plan, walked through new housing initiatives currently in motion, and premiered a short film called “Faces of Housing in Hendersonville” featuring community members talking about what housing means to them and to the city’s future.
If you weren’t there in person, everything from the evening is available to the public.
The Strategic Housing Plan
The main event was the release of Hendersonville’s adopted Strategic Housing Plan—a document built with community input that lays out the city’s priorities and strategies for addressing local housing needs. The full plan and a highlights handout are both available on the City of Hendersonville’s housing webpage.
Read the full document »Watch the Recording
The full summit recording is on the City’s website and YouTube channel. It’s worth watching if you want to hear directly from the City Council about what’s planned and why.
Short Film: “Faces of Housing in Hendersonville”
One of the highlights of the evening was the premiere of this short film, produced by the Lucey Agency and funded through a grant from the UNC School of Government’s NC Impact Initiative, Our State, Our Homes program. Community members share what housing means to them and how it affects the city going forward.
What’s Next: Partnering Organization Workshop
August 27, 2026 is already on the calendar for a facilitated workshop for organizations and businesses working on housing initiatives across Henderson County. Non-profits and community stakeholders will get more details as they become available.
The City is also actively working to implement a Community Land Trust as part of the broader plan.
Thank You to the Partners
This plan took a lot of people showing up over a long stretch of time. The Strategic Housing Plan Steering Committee guided the process from the start, and the following partners made both the summit and the plan possible:
- Dogwood Health Trust
- UNC School of Government NC Impact Initiative
- The Lucey Agency
- True Ridge
- Hendersonville High School and Henderson County Public Schools
- Fountainworks
- UNC School of Government Development Finance Initiative
- Shane Phillips
- Patrick Bowen
- El Centro
- The Housing Assistance Corporation
- Hendersonville and Henderson County communities who gave their time and input along the way
The City of Hendersonville Strategic Housing Plan Steering Committee
We’ll share updates as the City moves forward. In the meantime, feel free to pass this post along to anyone in your network who has a stake in how Hendersonville grows.
