At its May 16 meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the Buncombe 2043 Comprehensive Plan, an endeavor that has been years in the making.

Remind me, what is a comprehensive plan?

To cut a long story short, a comprehensive plan is a long-term planning document used to guide the goals and actions of the county government. The plan takes direction from the community, which it sourced over the course of 200+ input sessions, and also incorporates the collective history of Buncombe County projects.

What does the plan cover?

The plan is broken down into nine chapters that focus on:

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

All of these topics are evaluated with three key themes in mind: equity, sustainability, and regional planning. Nice breakdown!

What can we expect to change?

Growth, equity, and conservation - An increased number of ownership units and rental units affordable to households earning less than 80% Average Median Income.

Transportation and connectivity - An increase in sidewalks, bike paths, and greenways.

Farms, forests, and environmental conservation - Increased acreage with permanent conservation status.

Economic development, education, and jobs - An increase of new jobs with earnings above $50,000.

Health and recreation - An increased percentage of the population living within three miles of recreation, greenways, trails, or parks.

Hazards and resilience - An increase of structural integrity on newly developed lots.

Infrastructure and energy - An increased number of renewable energy projects.

Want to dive even deeper into the comprehensive plan? You can find the full plan on Buncombe County's website. Plus, to stay up to date with the plan's developments via this newsletter.