A bucolic 342 acres between downtown Asheville and Leicester is one step closer to becoming Buncombe County’s newest park.
At last night’s Buncombe County Commission meeting, staff shared that by the end of the year, it plans to finalize the purchase of Deaverview Mountain at a cost of $8.9 million.
Commissioner Terri Wells celebrated the project as a major win for the community.
“The fact that we're able to conserve this property, turn it into public recreation for our community for many generations to come, to be able to utilize this and enjoy it. It's just tremendous,” she said.
This month, Buncombe received a $4.4 million grant from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program. Combined with a matching $4.4 million grant from the North
Carolina Land and Water Fund, and some support from private donors, the county can now finance the transaction.
The county began exploring how it could turn the land into a park in 2023 and has finally secured enough grant money to go ahead with the purchase. The plot was purchased by Deaverview Mountain LLC in 2023, run by Georgia-based conservationist Roy Richards, Jr. Previously, a developer had planned to turn the site into a mountaintop housing development.
The land has a 3,118-foot-high peak, with stunning views of downtown Asheville, the French Broad River and Biltmore Estate. There are also more than a dozen headwater streams on the terrain.
The county will work with Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy on the project. The nonprofit is the recipient of the $4.4 million North Carolina Land and Water Fund grant and has also helped raise private donations for the creation of the park.
After the county finalizes a Memorandum of Understanding with Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, planned for November, Buncombe will finalize the acquisition of the property in December. It plans to share a master plan for the creation of the park early next year.
Other tidbits
- For the next two years, public schools will have more flexibility over how to spend funds raised by the Article 39 sales tax. Usually, these funds are strictly earmarked for capital projects. Facing tax revenue shortfalls after Helene, the county clawed back $4.7 million of school funding in January and faced contention over the school budget. Commissioners worked with the N.C. General Assembly, which passed House Bill 309, allowing Buncombe to temporarily use Article 39 funds for operational costs. The move, approved by the commission, amends the budget passed in July and provides an additional $4 million for Buncombe County Schools and Asheville City Schools.
- During the briefing, county staff released a draft of its Helene Recovery Plan. The plan includes more than 100 different projects, everything from public wi-fi in Weaverville to the creation of a new emergency operations center and emergency shelter that would serve the whole county. Buncombe is accepting feedback for the plan through Oct. 3.
Every first and third Tuesday, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meets at 200 College St., Room 326 in downtown Asheville, beginning at 5 p.m. See the full recording and agenda of the Sept. 16 meeting.
