Buncombe seeks input on disaster funds for storm-damaged business corridors

Buncombe County is asking residents to help steer millions in federal disaster recovery money toward the commercial strips still scarred by Tropical Storm Helene, with one of the clearest proposals centered on Swannanoa and U.S. 70.

County commissioners held the first public hearing Tuesday on an application for the state’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery Commercial District Revitalization program. The money comes from Renew NC and is aimed at physical recovery projects in storm-damaged business corridors, from demolition and site preparation to rehabilitation of commercial buildings, facade upgrades, mixed-use projects and help for small businesses repairing their properties.

The stakes are high. Buncombe County says a Riverbird Research survey found 76% of local businesses reported physical damage from Helene, while 93% reported financial losses. The county’s recovery team is framing the request as more than a construction package: it is trying to turn disaster aid into safer, more resilient commercial corridors that can support storefronts, jobs and the everyday services people depend on.

One of the most concrete projects in the draft set would add sidewalks along U.S. 70 between Warren Wilson Road and Whitson Avenue. County materials say that stretch still needs better pedestrian access and storm recovery work, and officials want the improvements to make the Highway 70 commercial area easier and safer to reach. Swannanoa’s corridor was already flagged in Buncombe County’s 2043 Comprehensive Plan as an area needing more detailed planning, and county leaders have since made Swannanoa a priority for a small-area recovery and resilience plan in 2025.

The county’s Helene recovery staff describe the three draft projects as a “working set of ideas,” and Helene Recovery Officer Kevin Madsen said the concepts are expected to change as public feedback comes in and the county works through federal and state rules. That matters because the state program has about $111 million available, and grants generally range from $500,000 to $10 million per project.

Buncombe County and its six municipal partners have also mapped out a broader Helene Recovery Plan with 114 projects. County briefing minutes from March 18 showed more than 1.1 million cubic yards of debris had already been removed from rights of way in Asheville, Black Mountain and unincorporated Buncombe County, underscoring how much cleanup still sits behind the recovery effort. For damaged corridors, the next decisions could determine whether money goes first to sidewalks, storefronts, flood-damaged parcels or long-delayed redevelopment.