SWANNANOA, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Plans to improve and expand sidewalks in Swannanoa are moving forward, with Buncombe County commissioners set to consider nearly $1.8 million in state grants Tuesday and hear from the public about additional funding needed for the work.

Commissioners are being asked to accept two grants totaling $1.76 million for sidewalk improvements in Beacon Village and downtown Swannanoa.

One provides $979,069 to repair and extend sidewalks along Whitson Avenue. The other provides $786,291 to repair and extend sidewalks along Railroad, Alexander and South streets.

The money comes from North Carolina’s Small Business Infrastructure Grant Program, a Hurricane Helene recovery program designed to help local governments repair infrastructure that supports small-business recovery.

The N.C. Department of Transportation will provide construction management services for both projects. The county will not be required to provide additional funding for the two grants, according to the agenda packet.

The sidewalks have been a priority for residents and business owners in a community where walking between neighborhoods, businesses and other destinations can mean traveling along roads without continuous pedestrian access.

“This is a big deal for our families, visitors, and small businesses,” Short Sleeves Coffee owner and Swannanoa resident Daniel Lancaster said in a social media post when the Whitson Avenue grant was announced in December 2025.

Lancaster described Beacon Village as Swannanoa’s downtown and said more sidewalks would make it safer for families while supporting businesses as the community rebuilds from Helene.

A separate action before commissioners Tuesday could help cover another piece of the sidewalk work.

The county will hold a public hearing on a proposal to change the use of a Community Development Block Grant-Neighborhood Revitalization award originally intended for home repairs.

Buncombe County received $400,000 in December 2022 to help low- and moderate-income homeowners repair their homes. The county spent 2023 and 2024 setting up the program, but it was paused after Helene. None of the money has been spent.

According to the county’s agenda materials, the CDBG-NR program is no longer a priority for home-repair partners because of disaster recovery needs and other available funding sources.

Instead of canceling the award, the N.C. Department of Commerce has given the county an opportunity to seek approval to change its use and its amount.

Buncombe County proposes increasing the grant from $400,000 to $719,400 and putting it toward the Swannanoa sidewalk project. Ninety percent would be used for infrastructure and public improvements and 10% for administration.

The county already has other funding for design and construction. The CDBG-NR money would help close a remaining gap by paying for preliminary engineering and right-of-way assessment and acquisition.

County officials say the goal is to provide safe, continuous pedestrian connections between homes, community destinations and essential services in the downtown Swannanoa and Beacon Village commercial area. The project is intended to benefit low- and moderate-income households.

The work also supports the county’s Helene Recovery Plan, Comprehensive Land Use Plan and Swannanoa Small Area and Resilience Plan, which is still being developed.

Tuesday’s public hearing is required before the county can submit the proposed CDBG-NR changes to the N.C. Department of Commerce. Commissioners will then be asked to authorize submission of the $719,400 grant modification.

The projects before commissioners Tuesday are part of a broader push for better pedestrian connections in Swannanoa.

Commissioner Jennifer Horton said in September that the county also has a pending request for $10 million to build 2.25 miles of connected sidewalk along U.S. 70 between Whitson Avenue and Warren Wilson Road.

That $10 million request is separate from the two grants commissioners are being asked to accept Tuesday and the $719,400 grant modification that is the subject of the public hearing.

The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meets Tuesday, Oct. 6.