Buncombe County Commissioners convene Aug. 6 to consider a variety of issues, including building a new school, creating a Buncombe County Culture and Recreation Authority, and establishing new zoning rules.
The Buncombe County Board of Education is requesting that commissioners approve spending $1.98 million to purchase 22.17 acres of land at 1243 Sand Hill Rd. in Enka-Candler. The school board is developing plans to build a new intermediate school at the site.
On another front, commissioners will consider transferring management of Buncombe County’s libraries, parks and recreation facilities to a new Culture and Recreation Authority (CRA). The proposal calls for the authority to be governed by a new seven member board appointed by the commissioners. The new management entity was recently authorized by state legislators and commissioners have already approved a special 3.5 cent property tax to fund the organization.
In addition, commissioners will hold a public hearing on new zoning rules. In April, the North Carolina General Assembly removed Asheville’s authority to zone land just outside its municipal borders (known as Extraterritorial Jurisdiction, or ETJ). That responsibility now falls to county government, and staff have developed zoning designations with the goal of mirroring the city’s previous rules.
The county has published a list of frequently asked questions and answers about the zoning changes on its website here.
The board will meet at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, August 6, in the commissioner’s chambers, located at 200 College Street, suite 326. A short pre-meeting review of the agenda will begin at 4:15 p.m.
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