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Planners weigh business opportunity zones, town‑center overlays to help small businesses
Summary
Buncombe County planning staff and participants discussed adding 'business opportunity zone' overlays, streamlined permitting and beautification measures to encourage local small‑business growth and stronger town centers; staff will research program models and what the county can endorse versus implement.
Buncombe County planning staff and meeting participants discussed new tools aimed at supporting locally owned small businesses, including so‑called "business opportunity zones," town‑center overlays and complementary beautification projects.
Staff described the concept as a zoning overlay that could streamline permitting, emphasize form‑based design and lower some barriers to entry for entrepreneurs. A participant framed the overlay as a way to "create pathways" that make it easier for businesses to locate or relocate into town‑center districts, coupled with landscaping and placemaking to strengthen pedestrian activity and commercial vitality.
The conversation identified three related proposals: creating business opportunity zones with tailored development standards and incentives; adding landscaping and beautification requirements to support street activation; and exploring cooperative ownership models tied to economic development. Staff said similar programs exist through North Carolina Main Street and state commerce initiatives, and pledged to research which elements the county can endorse in the comprehensive plan versus what the county could directly implement. Staff also said they would bring forward language that supports town‑center overlays without duplicating actions already included elsewhere in the plan.
Participants asked the staff to include examples and to clarify whether the plan would call for the county to run programs directly, to support projects through grants or technical assistance, or to advocate for state programs. On process, staff recommended adding the town‑center overlay language as plan support rather than a county‑run requirement where state or private programs are needed.
The next step is for staff to review model overlay language and propose specific plan wording and references to state or regional programs in a revised draft. That draft will show how proposed overlays and beautification actions relate to existing plan actions such as Action 2.1.2 and the growth/redevelopment chapter.
