The expanding ranks of Buncombe County’s workforce are finding it increasingly hard to reach their jobs. That was the key message Tristan Winkler, director of the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization, had for the county’s Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night.
Winkler, whose group helps coordinate transportation decisions across Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, and Madison county governments, presented a wide range of figures in support of his thesis. Citing census data and other federal surveys, he showed that proportionately fewer Asheville and Buncombe employees are living close to their workplaces now than in recent years — especially those earning lower incomes.
From 2002 to 2019, according to the Census Bureau’s Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics data, the total number of Asheville workers actually living in the city remained about flat, even as the city’s overall workforce grew by roughly 35,000 people. For workers earning less than $3,333 per month, however, the number residing in city limits dropped by about 3,000. And while poverty levels fell in Western North Carolina’s urban areas over the same period, Winkler said, they rose in unincorporated Buncombe, Haywood, and Henderson counties, where low-income workers often moved after being forced out of cities by rising rents.
This displacement has real impacts on transportation demand, Winkler said. Workers living in rural areas are more likely to commute by car, usually alone, and drive more miles per year than the regional average. As the population of outlying areas grows and alternative commuting strategies like public transit and bicycling aren’t feasible, roads become more congested.
“We know that if there continues to be more growth focused further and further out, we’re likely to have more of those traffic impacts,” Winkler explained. “There’s likely to be more areas that are going to experience significant congestion through our region. And a lot of the metrics that we track about trip characteristics — walking, biking, taking transit to work — we would anticipate less use of those modes than we would if growth were more consolidated.”
Addressing the issue, Winkler suggested, will likely require a sustained effort to permit and build housing in urban neighborhoods. Asheville has lagged behind rural areas in this regard, he said. The city permitted just over four new units of housing per 1,000 residents in 2024, compared with nearly 16 per 1,000 for unincorporated Buncombe County.
Other tidbits
- Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution of intent for Buncombe to participate in North Carolina’s Commercial Property Assessed Capital Expenditure Program. Better known as C-PACE, the initiative allows property owners to finance environmentally friendly improvements like solar panels and water conservation measures through annual assessments on their property tax bill. Because C-PACE loans — which are still backed by private lenders, not county government — are longer term than regular commercial loans, they generally require lower monthly payments and can make it easier for property owners to pay for green projects. The county will hold a public hearing and formally vote on joining the program Tuesday, Feb. 3.
- Clark Duncan, executive director of the Economic Development Coalition of Asheville-Buncombe County, presented his group’s annual report. He highlighted projects to build local business capacity, including a training facility for advanced manufacturing skills and the creation of Optimist Ventures. The latter program is investing $1 million into Helene-impacted local startups, half as forgivable grants and half as venture capital.
- Ashe County-based-based Vannoy Construction was awarded a $13.8 million contract for renovations at the Buncombe County Courthouse. According to a county staff report, the work “will consist of replacing the plumbing infrastructure inside the old courthouse while maintaining courthouse operations.” Work is expected to begin in March and wrap up by March 2028.
- The county agreed to allocate over $800,000 in federal transit grant funding to the city of Asheville. According to a staff report, Buncombe has other grants available to cover eligible expenses and wouldn’t be able to spend the money before a federal deadline. In exchange, Asheville agreed to a number of transit-related conditions, such as not requesting additional county funds to expand its bus service.
- Buncombe accepted a more than $63,000 reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the deployment of its urban search and rescue task force during Tropical Storm Erin in August. The crew includes members from Buncombe County Emergency Services, along with the Enka-Candler, Skyland, and West Buncombe fire departments, specially trained in skills like swift-water rescue.
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. The next meeting will take place Tuesday, Feb. 3. Additionally, the board will hold a special budget work session in the first-floor conference room at 200 College St. Thursday, Jan. 22, beginning at 9 a.m.
See the full recording and agenda of the Jan. 20 meeting.
