Buncombe County weighs new warehouse and consolidated elections facility

Buncombe County officials and the Buncombe County Board of Elections spent more than two hours on options to consolidate storage and operational space for elections into a single warehouse-style facility, discussing needs, cost ranges and a multi-year schedule for planning, temporary relocation and possible construction.

The presentation outlined an advanced-planning program that would provide roughly 100,000 square feet of combined warehouse, records, training and office space, with elections-specific requirements of about 28,560 square feet and a 3,600-square-foot training/multiuse mock‑election area. County project manager Robert Brown told the board the study evaluated three main approaches: build new, purchase and renovate, or lease and renovate.

Why it matters: Elections staff told the board that centralized, secure storage and adjacent training and mock‑election space would reduce fragmentation the department says has hampered operations and security. Board members urged county leaders to treat elections’ statutory, year‑round functions as a high planning priority and to avoid repeating prior relocations that left the department dispersed.

Plans, costs and timeline Robert Brown, a county project manager, summarized the program and the options. He said a brand‑new building would have an estimated all‑in cost of about $350–$400 per square foot; purchasing an existing building would carry purchase prices historically near $90–$140 per square foot plus $75–$125 per square foot in upfit costs; leasing would run roughly $8.50–$10 per square foot annually. Brown said the planning program produces a prospective 100,000+ square foot facility when all county departments’ storage needs are included.

The presentation included a tentative schedule the county described as “subject to change”: advanced planning completion in fall 2025; if approved, a project budget request would be submitted in the December 2026 budget cycle; staff estimated a potential temporary relocation of elections operations to a Cox Avenue warehouse in February 2027; design and bidding in late 2027; construction start in November 2027 if the board approves moving forward and — under the build‑new assumption — an 18‑month construction window with staged occupancy beginning mid‑2029.

Security, operations and site factors County staff said the facility would include segregated, badge‑secured election space with internal separations, dedicated drop‑off for box trucks, climate control and redundant power to support 24/7 operations. The advanced plan called for roughly 100–120 parking spaces (to accommodate an elections night surge) and drive‑in/Dock access for multiple box trucks simultaneously.

Staff also noted a study site the county has been examining along Riverside Drive/Canoe Lane near existing county fleet and training facilities; the county said the property is county‑owned and that the area being used for fleet construction is not inside the floodplain, though speakers acknowledged parts of the broader corridor are in flood zones and said ingress/egress would be planned to avoid flood-impacted routes.

Board reaction and next steps Several board members pressed county officials for greater clarity and a strategic plan that treats elections as a distinct state‑mandated function rather than bundling it with general county storage. Board member Jake expressed frustration that prior moves had left elections fragmented and said: "We are a state agency, and I expect to be viewed as such and treated as such." Director Corinne Duncan told the board staff and county project teams had worked collaboratively on the program and that the study reflects input from elections and other departments.

County staff said advanced planning will continue, property searches will proceed for buy/lease options, and that staff will present a recommended option and budget to the board for any project the board decides to pursue. No formal motion or vote on a site, financing or procurement approach occurred.

The county committed to continued engagement with the board as designs or temporary relocation options are refined and to provide maps, parking and flood‑plain details to help the board evaluate sites.

Ending: The board asked staff to return with follow-up information — including maps showing the Canoe Lane/Riverside Drive site, acreage and flood‑plain analysis — and said members expect more frequent, earlier communication as planning advances.