On a steep Hendersonville hillside, neighbors in the 38-lot Nubbins Nob subdivision say they did everything by the book: they pooled FEMA Helene assistance through their homeowners association, signed the paperwork and watched the HOA board hire a contractor to repair their only road in and out. Months later, they say the board has gone quiet and the private mountain roadway still looks one bad storm away from real trouble.
Residents say the road continues to show washouts, eroded embankments and failing culverts, with some crews so far only spreading gravel and lining ditches. Homeowners worry that if heavy rain hits again, emergency responders could be delayed or blocked entirely and families might be forced to park far from their homes just to get in and out safely.
According to The Charlotte Observer, homeowners were first asked to sign a joint authorization so FEMA grants could be pooled through the HOA. The association then entered a roughly $406,215 construction agreement with New Living Landscapes to repair about two miles of the private road. The contract called for grading, drainage improvements, culvert work and retaining walls, and neighbors say some work did begin this spring. Multiple homeowners report that after repeatedly asking for meeting minutes, engineering plans and permits, they were told instead to check an online management portal.
Neighbors say the board stopped responding
Philip Pavarini, who has twice volunteered on the HOA board, told the paper that he and neighbors personally cleared more than 100 downed trees after Helene and that a culvert he had flagged as a concern washed out completely. “The only thing we want is a safe road,” Pavarini said, noting that his wife relies on the route for a daily commute to Mission Hospital in Asheville.
Another resident, Josh Houston, said he is worried that if conditions worsen, emergency vehicles may not be able to reach the subdivision at all. That possibility, he told the newspaper, is what keeps many neighbors pushing for answers even as formal responses from the board have tapered off.
How the state's Helene program is supposed to work
North Carolina's private road-and-bridge program is designed so that homeowners and associations can coordinate repairs after Helene, with the state cost-sharing eligible HOA projects up to 50 percent under the recovery law, according to the NC Department of Public Safety. The PRB program prioritizes routes that serve as the sole emergency access to homes, and the state has hired engineering firms to review and manage those projects.
Because of that framework, associations that want reimbursement are expected to be able to show permits, engineering documentation and appropriate contractor credentials. For residents on a one-way-in, one-way-out mountain road, that paper trail is not just a bureaucratic box to check, it is a key part of proving the repairs are safe and compliant.
Regulators have been notified
Homeowners say they alerted regulators about the road project, and the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors confirmed it opened an investigation into a complaint. A FEMA investigator told residents the agency is waiting on the licensing board's findings before deciding what to do next, as reported by The Charlotte Observer.
The licensing board's website explains that complaints are reviewed and then assigned to field investigators, and that a general-contractor license is typically required for projects worth $40,000 or more. Homeowners who believe something is amiss can file a complaint through the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors. Neighbors in Nubbins Nob stress that they do not want to halt repairs or dodge their share of costs, they simply want the work to follow regulations and leave the road structurally sound.
What residents can do now
State guidance and expert advice suggest that homeowners in situations like this carefully preserve all correspondence, continue to request formal board minutes, and seek copies of bids, permits and engineering plans. If those requests go nowhere, they can file complaints with the contractor licensing board to trigger an investigator review.
The NC Department of Public Safety provides PRB program contact emails and a helpline for case management, and the licensing board offers a complaint form and investigator contacts for Western North Carolina. For immediate safety hazards, residents are advised to notify local emergency services first while also documenting conditions for regulators and FEMA.
For now, the HOA board's attorney has not responded to requests for comment, and the standoff has left the neighborhood pushing harder for transparency and a clear schedule for fixing the only road they have. Homeowners say they plan to keep pressing state agencies and their own association until they see the engineering plans, permits and on-the-ground work they believe are needed to address the washouts and culvert failures at the heart of their concerns.
