Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Planning Process topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning Board Reviews Swannanoa Small-Area Plan, Schedules More Public Engagement
Summary
Planning staff reviewed the Swannanoa small-area plan, answered board questions about sewer timing, water-quality monitoring and flood-resilience measures, and set a schedule for more public engagement in early August and public hearings in mid-November.
Planning staff presented the draft Swannanoa small-area plan to the Buncombe County Planning Board on July 20, outlining outreach efforts and proposed actions for resilience, sewer extension, and implementation.
Staff said the plan reflects multiple rounds of public engagement and technical outreach aimed at representing both town-center and rural voices. The plan’s implementation table uses an "hourglass" marker to show which actions staff consider feasible within five years given current resources and known funding; staff said most items flagged for immediate work are those that can be advanced as text amendments.
Board members asked whether sewer extension and interim water-quality monitoring were sufficiently addressed. A planning staff member said sewer extension is a long-term action tied to a separate Helene recovery plan, and that feasibility, construction and funding timelines mean extension will take years; interim water-quality monitoring would more typically be handled through countywide programs rather than a small-area plan.
Members also asked about impervious-surface limits and tree canopy standards for neighborhood centers. Staff said countywide standards are the usual mechanism but that overlay districts could be used for area-specific protections; staff agreed to examine where the plan could better reference such tools.
Staff discussed a goal for the community to pursue the Community Rating System (CRS) for flood insurance reductions and said certain recommended actions (for example, river corridor standards and updated flood standards) could generate CRS points. The board asked whether staff were sufficiently resourced; staff replied that one CRS-related action may require additional staff but that much of the five-year work is calibrated to current resources.
Staff said the plan will undergo additional technical review and return to the board for a public hearing tentatively scheduled for Nov. 16, 2026, followed by the Board of Commissioners on Nov. 17; staff also announced another round of public engagement in the first two weeks of August with exhibits in Swannanoa to collect final feedback before the public hearing.
The board provided praise and several specific suggestions for glossary items, mapping updates to note recent conservation easements (Warren Wilson), and clearer references to where countywide monitoring or standards apply.
