“In this economy, it takes a lot of nerve to even mention increasing taxes.”

“In this economy, it takes a lot of nerve to even mention increasing taxes.”
“Together, land conservation and affordable housing lessen the need for expensive new road infrastructure in the more rural areas of Buncombe.”
“For the equivalent expenditure of about $20 per family per year, we can leave a land legacy of which our children and grandchildren will be both thankful and proud.”
“Please vote ‘Yes’ for the housing bond, which will support affordable homes for people serving our community.”
The county’s Agricultural Advisory Board and Land Conservation Advisory Board are seeking $384,000 to fund six easement projects. Five easements would protect farmland in Asheville, Barnardsville, Leicester and Weaverville. The remaining project would help Hendersonville-based nonprofit Conserving Carolina secure an easement for Camp Woodson in Black Mountain.
“We do have to stay vigilant as the money is distributed.”
This November, Buncombe County voters will determine if the county pursues up to $70 million in bonds. If approved, $30 million would go toward land conservation and greenways, while $40 million would fund up to 3,100 affordable housing units.
At the recommendation of the county board’s Environment & Energy Stewardship Subcommittee, which includes board Chair Brownie Newman along with Commissioners Parker Sloan and Terri Wells, members will vote on whether to commit to conserving 20% of Buncombe’s total acreage by 2030.
During an April 19 briefing, the county Board of Commissioners heard a presentation by the nonprofit Trust for Public Land about the feasibility of issuing $70 million in bonds for housing and land conservation, which in this case would require approval through referendums of Buncombe voters.
On April 22, the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy shared news of a 7,500-acre donation in the Roan Highlands. That same day, Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina announced a 332-acre donation along Wilson Creek.
“There has never been what seemed like such a crucial time for understanding how we can continue to feed, clothe and sustain ourselves without crushing the natural world to death.”
“Faced with significant development pressures, we must do what we can to protect some of the region’s natural habitat and biodiversity, as well as our most productive farmland.”
Looking back on 2017, Xpress highlights some of the hundreds of stories we covered in our print editions and online over the year.
Quietly, day after day, the dedicated staff at CMLC works to protect special open space lands for the public to enjoy. In 2013, the nonprofit had its biggest year ever, conserving about 4,000 acres, including Bearwallow Mountain (pictured above).
On Nov. 19, Buncombe Commissioners will consider spending $69,000 on a conservation easement to protect 121 acres of land from development on Long Mountain in the Upper Hominey area.
Every so often, wilderness gets a break. Consider the case of the Box Creek Wilderness, a 3,300-acre forest tract straddling the Rutherford/McDowell county line just east of Asheville.
After years of planning and public meetings, Buncombe County is poised to release a comprehensive proposal for an extensive greenway system linking towns, parks, schools and other key sites. Bolstered by recent successes in the city of Asheville, and by growing support for transportation alternatives, advocates are eager for the plan to be released (it’s […]
Asheville-based nonprofit the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has purchased 225 acres in Avery County that include Spears Tops Mountain.
As Western North Carolina becomes ever more developed, a large tract of wild land has come up for sale, creating a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to conserve it for posterity. In June, the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy and The Conservation Fund announced that they’d reached an agreement with former U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor and his family to […]