ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday advanced plans for sidewalk improvements in Swannanoa, approved participation in a statewide commercial financing program and received updates on the county’s response to a recent winter storm.
At its Feb. 3 regular meeting, commissioners authorized a resolution directing the county manager to submit multiple grant applications in support of the Swannanoa Sidewalks Project. The board approved two resolutions to apply to the N.C. Department of Commerce Rural Division’s Small Business Infrastructure Grant Program, which would help fund separate phases of the project.
The sidewalk work would focus on repairing and extending sidewalks in Beacon Village as part of recovery efforts following Tropical Storm Helene. The grant program has a $1 million cap per project and a total award cap of $5.5 million per county.
Commissioners also held a public hearing on joining the North Carolina Commercial Property Assessed Capital Expenditure (NC C-PACE) Program and voted to approve participation. The program provides a financing mechanism for commercial property owners to fund energy efficiency, water conservation, renewable energy and resiliency improvements.
Buncombe County Emergency Services presented an update on the response to Winter Storm Fern, noting that more than 100 county employees worked during the weekend storm to shelter more than 80 people in emergency shelters. Staff also outlined recent Code Purple operations, which expand shelter capacity during life-threatening cold temperatures, coordinated with city and county partners over multiple nights of winter weather.
In other business, commissioners adopted a proclamation recognizing 2026 Black Legacy Month, honoring the history, culture and contributions of Black residents in Buncombe County.
The next regular meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.