Woodfin planning board approves Buncombe County recovery-plan pages for the town
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Summary
The Planning Board of Adjustment voted unanimously Dec. 2 to approve Woodfin-specific pages of Buncombe County—s recovery plan, endorsing high-level priorities such as affordable housing, communications/resiliency hubs, green infrastructure and flood mitigation; board added Weaverville to an interjurisdictional coordination line.
The Planning Board of Adjustment for the Town of Woodfin voted unanimously Dec. 2 to approve the town-specific portion of Buncombe County—s recovery plan and recommend adoption to town staff and counsel.
Staff told the board the county adopted a 200-plus-page recovery plan and asked each municipal jurisdiction to review and adopt the pages specific to their town. The pages for Woodfin, staff said, list 17 projects and are intended as high-level guidance that will inform future ordinance changes and implementation efforts tied to the town—s Woodfin Together comprehensive plan.
Board members focused on resilience and housing priorities in the packet. Staff highlighted several recurring themes: affordable-housing measures and housing-protection tools; disaster partnership planning and communications (including backup radio and potential Starlink usage); green infrastructure to address stormwater and heat-island effects; multimodal connections to nearby towns for jobs and services; resiliency hubs relying on prearranged local partners such as churches; and riverfront projects including stream-restoration work at Riverside Park.
During discussion members flagged recurring flooding on the Weaverville Road corridor and asked staff to consider culvert sizing and emergency-access connections. A representative tied fire-protection capacity to resilience planning, reporting roughly 485 hydrants in the fire district and recent improvements in hydrant operability. Staff said some flood- and river-restoration work has been completed and that FEMA reimbursement has covered portions of repair in specific cases.
A board member read a prepared motion finding the town pages consistent with the Woodfin Together plan and other town goals and recommending approval; during the motion the board agreed to add Weaverville to the section on interjurisdictional climate and resiliency coordination. The chair called the roll; the board recorded unanimous approval and staff said the adopted town pages will be posted on the town website after a minor typographical correction.
Next steps: staff will transmit the board—s advisory recommendation to counsel and place the adopted town pages on the town—s documents page. The board—s action is advisory for the council and is intended to guide future ordinance updates and project prioritization.
