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Commission approves Swannanoa small-area plan steering committee and application timeline
Summary
The board approved a resolution to advertise and form an 11–13-member Swannanoa Small Area and Resilience Plan Steering Committee to guide a year-long planning process tied to recovery and grant-readiness; applications open May 21 and appointments are expected in August.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on May 20 approved a resolution to advertise and form a Swannanoa Small Area and Resilience Plan Steering Committee, a citizen advisory group slated to guide a small-area planning process tied to recovery and future grant opportunities.
Planning staff described the committee’s role as providing guidance on public engagement, identifying community vision, goals, policies and actions, and reviewing draft plan language. Jillian Phillips told the board the proposed committee would have 11–13 members and that the application would ask about residence, employer or organizational ties to Swannanoa, expertise, and demographic information. The application was scheduled to go live May 21 with the goal of returning vetted applicants to the board on July 15 and appointing members at the Aug. 5 meeting.
Phillips emphasized coordination with recovery efforts. “The recovery plan is ... projects. One of the projects within the recovery plan will probably be the Swannanoa small area plan,” she said, adding staff are working to layer the recovery plan, the county strategic plan and the small-area plan to minimize duplication and to prepare projects for grant funding.
Commissioners asked how the small-area plan would interact with existing recovery grant programs (HMGP, CDBG-DR etc.) and how staff would ensure residents who face financial or time barriers — including households still recovering from Hurricane Helene — could participate. Staff said they would seek inclusive membership and consider outreach and supports to ensure participation.
Motion and vote: Commissioner Wells moved to adopt the resolution establishing the Swannanoa Small Area and Resilience Plan Steering Committee; Commissioner Horton seconded and the motion carried.
Why it matters: the small-area plan will create a locally tailored vision for Swannanoa and helps the county sequence projects that can be ready for state or federal recovery and resilience grants. Staff described an ambitious monthly meeting schedule through early 2026 culminating in a public draft review in May of the following year.
Provenance: - topicintro: transcript block starting 6897.175–6928.295 — "And Jillian Phillips is joining us again with, a resolution for the small area plan in Swannanoa. Thanks for staying, Jillian." (Chair Amanda Edwards) - topfinish: transcript block starting 7504.245–7511.525 — "Motion to adopt the resolution form. Do we have a second? I second. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries." (Commissioners)
