History of the Plan

Before adopting the Comprehensive Plan, Buncombe County maintained a Land Use Plan starting in 1998 at a time when there was no zoning in the county. In 2009 Buncombe adopted county-wide zoning in unincorporated areas (outside of city and town limits) for the first time. The Land Use Plan helped guide decisions related to the creation of the county's new zoning and other land use ordinances. 

The Buncombe 2043 Plan is the County’s first long-range Comprehensive Plan to address the opportunities and challenges facing this rapidly growing gateway community. The Plan creates a 20-year vision to guide County policies and regulations on seven key topics: equitable growth, transportation, environmental conservation, recreation, hazard resilience, infrastructure, and economic development.

Resident Involvement

Public input from county residents and stakeholders was crucial to the success of the Plan. Over the course of two years the County hosted or attended over 100 events, including public meetings, exhibits, intercepts, community markets, and more. Staff made efforts to ensure that input opportunities were as accessible as possible in considering barriers in technology, transportation, language, scheduling, and childcare. A resident steering committee of 23 volunteers represented our county’s diversity in geography, age, race, ethnicity, ability, and language. These members helped obtain public input from their wide networks. 

This huge effort resulted in 5,233 participants from all areas of the county. Through partnerships with community leaders, the County engaged with historically marginalized groups, people living with disabilities, youth, and rural and agricultural communities. The result of these efforts is a plan that reflects the complexity and diversity of Buncombe’s people and places, and the visions and goals that the community aims to achieve in the next two decades.  

Moving Forward

Creating the Plan is only step one of the process. Step two is making the plan a reality by implementing the vision, goals, policies, and actions outlined in the Plan. There are numerous ways that a local government and community partners can do this, such as:

• Changing ordinances and regulations
• Creating Small Area Plans for specific neighborhoods
• Revising policies and procedures to align with the Plan
• Using the Plan as a guide for decision-making, such as for rezonings
• Drafting future 5-year Strategic Plans from the Comprehensive Plan
• Informing the annual budget and funding decisions
• Completing specific actions outlined in the Plan