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Buncombe County previewing Swanoa small area plan with new 'river corridor' category and sidewalk priorities
Summary
Staff presented a draft Swanoa small area plan that adds a 'river corridor' land-use category to prioritize flood storage, habitat and recreation, and presented sidewalk, bike-lane and greenway priorities (including a financed feasibility study for a six-mile greenway segment). The board provided feedback and staff will present policies and actions next month.
Buncombe County staff presented draft vision maps and transportation priorities for the Swanoa small area plan at the March 16 planning board meeting, proposing a new land-use category called 'river corridor' intended to limit development intensity in flood-prone areas and prioritize flood storage, wildlife habitat, agriculture and recreation.
Staff said the river-corridor category (based on a 500-year flood-area concept in the draft) is intended to guide future zoning overlays or other regulatory tools to build resilience in flood-prone corridors while protecting limited developable land. The proposal would permit very low-density single-family development in constrained cases and favors uses related to the river, recreation, agriculture and low-intensity local businesses.
Transportation priorities: Staff also presented draft sidewalk and bike-lane priority maps for the Swanoa area and emphasized that although the county does not control state roads, including complete-streets elements in local plans increases the chances that NCDOT or grant funds will be used to build sidewalks when road projects occur. Staff said the county has obtained a grant for some downtown Beacon sidewalks and is preparing a Department of Commerce grant application for sidewalks along the US 70 corridor.
Greenway feasibility: During the general comment period, resident Jeff Dector told the board that a funded feasibility study — to be conducted over the next 12 months by Equinox Environmental — will assess a six-mile greenway stretch from Warren Wilson campus to Growstone and include Owen Park. Staff noted the Fonto Flora (state-designated) trail concept aims to connect through several jurisdictions and that the Swanoa segment is a strong local priority.
Resilience and debris-flow mapping: Staff highlighted ongoing work on debris-flow pathways and hazard maps and said geotechnical advice has suggested buffers (one example cited was about 300 feet from some water bodies in debris-flow pathways) and that policies and actions to increase community awareness of risk will be included in the draft plan; staff directed board members to the story map and county GIS for hazard-layer detail.
Next steps: Staff said they are drafting policies and actions for board review next month, with community engagement in May and a draft plan expected in June. The board provided detailed feedback on land-use categories, walkable nodes and transportation maps and signaled support for the river-corridor concept and prioritized sidewalks on the US 70 corridor.
Quotes from the meeting included staff explaining the river-corridor intent: "It's intended to limit the type and intensity of new development within flood-prone areas and prioritize flood storage, wildlife habitat, agriculture and recreation." Resident Jeff Dector summarized the planned greenway: "The study area will extend from Warren Wilson campus to Growstone about six miles."
