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County, MPO launch pedestrian plan for unincorporated Buncombe; steering committee to be appointed by November
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Summary
Buncombe County and the French Broad River MPO launched a 12-month pedestrian plan for unincorporated county areas; staff seek an 8–10 member steering committee and plan to appoint members by the first November meeting to inform sidewalk priorities and leverage NCDOT project coordination.
Buncombe County staff and the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization began a pedestrian-plan project focused on the county—s unincorporated areas and told commissioners they will form a steering committee of about eight to 10 members to guide visioning, prioritization and draft recommendations.
"One of the most important things is gonna be how we move forward into building sidewalks in the unincorporated areas to, connect, existing ones with the municipalities and to cover gaps that exist," said William High, who presented the project overview. The MPO is managing the project and a local consulting team from McAdams is leading study work; the county paid matching funds in FY24.
Staff said they have received initial feedback from Swannanoa and Emma and emphasized the plan will be used, among other things, to compel NCDOT to incorporate pedestrian facilities into future roadway improvements where a plan exists. The project scope is 12 months and kicked off in late June; staff aim to bring a resolution to establish the steering committee within weeks and to appoint members by the first November meeting so the committee can start work.
Why it matters: A countywide pedestrian plan can help prioritize sidewalk investments, improve connectivity to municipal networks and provide a policy basis for seeking state implementation through NCDOT projects.
What to watch: Steering-committee appointments, the plan—s gap analysis and whether the county pursues a separate bicycle-plan effort in later funding cycles.
