From Staff Reports

Following a public hearing at its May 16 meeting and prior unanimous approval by its Planning Board, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the 20-year Buncombe 2043 Comprehensive Plan. 

“North Carolina requires local governments to adopt and reasonably maintain a plan to retain authority to adopt and enforce zoning regulations, and this plan will help guide growth, conservation, economic development and other related elements within the county over the next 20 years,” the county announced in a May 16 news release.

More than 30 community members signed up to speak during the public hearing, both offering support for and improvements to the plan.

“When I think about this, I think about what a comprehensive plan and what it’s for,” Commissioner Amanda Edwards was quoted as saying in the release. “It’s how we set a vision for our community and how we make that a reality. What we looked at tonight reflects where we want to be… smart use and development.”

Commissioner Martin Moore also reflected on the Buncombe 2043 Comprehensive Plan, stating, according to the release, “We’re talking about conservation goals, balancing that with equity, affordability and transportation goals. I’m really excited to see what we have here for growth in Buncombe County and how we make responsible choices moving forward.”

The commissioners approved the plan with clarifying language about wages adjusted for inflation in addition to edits to the original draft plan raised at the April 19 Board of Commissioners and Planning Board Joint Review Session on April 19.

“The Growth, Equity, and Conservation Map’s designated colors for the growth land use categories (in particular, Mixed Use I, Mixed Use II, and Walkable Destination) are too similar, making it difficult for a reader to distinguish the individual colors,” the release noted. “A different color palette was requested.

“The county’s support for development of appropriate alternative energy storage capacity infrastructure (and future related technology) was not addressed in the Infrastructure and Energy Actions. The request was made to add a new bullet on pages 197-198 reflecting this support.”

More than 200 input sessions have taken place over the course of creating the plan. The plan itself is made up of nine main chapters and covers:

• Growth, equity, and conservation

• Transportation and connectivity

• Farms, forests, and environmental conservation

• Economic development, education and jobs

• Health and recreation

• Hazards and resilience

• Infrastructure and energy

• Implementation of the plan

“The plan framework consists of vision themes, goals, policies and actions, with equity at its center,” the release stated.

To view the plan and all supporting documents, visit online at www.buncombecounty.org/plan2043.