Countywide long-term recovery plan draft to open for public comment; Asheville to publish projects list

Asheville — Chris Collins of the city's Planning and Urban Design Department told the Policy, Finance & Infrastructure Committee on Aug. 26 that the City is working with Buncombe County and municipal partners to finalize a consolidated countywide long-term recovery plan.

Collins said the plan will present a digestible list of recovery projects tailored to each jurisdiction and grounded in community input and impact data. It is meant to guide prioritization, not act as a funding or implementation plan.

What's in the draft Staff reported the draft includes a breakdown by Council priorities: 19 projects under infrastructure and environment, 6 under housing, 5 under economy and 4 under people/resilience-related priorities. Examples include stormwater and other infrastructure improvements, French Broad River park reconstruction, watershed early-warning systems, affordable-housing implementation actions, and small-business support initiatives.

Timeline and process County staff — with FEMA support — are drafting the plan document. Collins said a final draft will be presented to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 16; the city will open a public comment portal at that time. The public comment period will run through Oct. 31; staff plan to update the committee on Oct. 28 and expect municipalities to consider adoption in November.

Public outreach and next steps The plan will collect feedback in a single place for the county and municipalities and then each locality will analyze comments relevant to its projects. Collins said projects will range from those already underway to more aspirational efforts and that the plan is intended to be updated over time.

Ending: Staff will return with a draft for committee review on Oct. 28 and seek final actions later in the fall.