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Buncombe County to accept $4.475 million ORLP grant to acquire Deaver View Mountain
Summary
The board approved accepting an Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership grant and authorized an agreement with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy to acquire roughly 342 acres at Deaver View Mountain for a potential park or preserve.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted to accept a $4,475,000 Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) grant and to enter an agreement with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) to use the conservancy s a matching partner in acquiring Deaver View Mountain.
Parks and Recreation Director Allison Daines told the board the county previously adopted a resolution in April 2023 to explore the property as a park or nature preserve and had reserved more than $7 million in passive recreation funds toward development. The property under negotiation is approximately 342 acres, Daines said, and the ORLP award is intended for acquisition costs.
Daines described an anticipated timeline: acceptance in September, an agreement with SAHC in October, SAHC finalizing grant- and closing-related items in November, and acquisition work targeted for completion by December 2025. She said design and master-planning would follow, with engineering and site work beginning in early 2026.
Why this matters: the grant plus local matching funds would secure broad-acre public land and protect scenic and recreational resources. Commissioners and conservation partners praised the multi-year effort and the project s a long-term public open-space investment.
Action: the board voted to accept the grant, approve the requested budget amendment, and authorize county staff to finalize an agreement with SAHC to use conservancy funds as a match.
Ending: Project partners said they will return with acquisition documents and a master-plan schedule; county staff will report on next steps as grant conditions require.
