Buncombe County staff told the Swannanoa small‑area plan steering committee that the county received a North Carolina Department of Commerce small‑business infrastructure award that will fund sidewalk and related infrastructure work in the Beacon Village area.

"What we ended with was project $5,979,000 for that 1.2 miles of repair and extensions," said Speaker 5 (Participant), who apologized to the committee for issuing a press release about the award before informing the steering group.

According to staff, the grant is restricted to improvements in areas with small businesses and can be used for electrical, sewer, power, curbs and sidewalks. Speaker 5 said the county applied for five projects under the grant program but received funding only for the purple project that includes Beacon Village; staff had originally sought multiple, larger awards across the corridor.

Speaker 5 said the project area includes roughly 25 small businesses and that county staff will coordinate with the North Carolina Department of Transportation on construction along the affected roads. "We're hopeful it'll be adopted the the grant will be accepted by the commissioners in January," Speaker 5 said.

County staff indicated the sidewalk award is one element of a broader strategy to pursue other funding for US 70 and related pedestrian priorities. Participants asked whether the county is pursuing additional grant opportunities for US 70; staff replied that the Beacon Village award is only one piece and the county will continue to pursue matching or alternative funding sources.

Practical next steps staff listed to the steering committee included contacting impacted business owners, collecting required paperwork, photographing and publishing workshop materials and summary maps online, and presenting the grant acceptance to the board of county commissioners.

The steering committee did not take a formal vote on the grant during the meeting; staff said the matter is expected to move to the commissioners for formal acceptance in January. The county will provide the steering committee with ongoing updates and outreach to affected business owners.