Bring back Charles D. Owen Park, several Swannanoa residents asked the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Tuesday.
Before Tropical Storm Helene struck in 2024, “Owen Park was a meeting place,” resident Jerald Pope said. “We walked there ‘most every day, met hundreds of people.”
The nearly 30-acre park off Warren Wilson Road in Swannanoa contained walking paths, two fishing ponds, ballfields, basketball courts and other facilities. It adjoins the Swannanoa River and county government says it sustained the most damage from Helene of any county park. It has been closed since the storm.
Residents’ pleas came during a public hearing on the county’s planned application for roughly $24 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funds earmarked for disaster relief.
Tyler Henry, county grants manager, said the county expects to apply for about $11 million to repair Owen Park, as well as Alexander Park, Lake Julian Park and other parks damaged by Helene. It will also seek $10.6 million for road work to access Bent Creek property where the county plans to build affordable housing and about $2.8 million to make county buildings more resilient in natural disasters, he said.
Applications for the funds, managed by state government, are competitive and there is no guarantee that the county will get the money, he said in an interview.
Public comments Tuesday focused on Owen Park, which Swannanoa residents and others described as a community gathering place.
“It’s a place where people had their birthday celebrations and bird watching. They learned to ride bikes. People were fishing,” said Rebecca Williams. “It was used by everyone. It is a beloved space.”
“It was a magical place and I think it can be even more magical,” said Liesl Erb.
County government has been soliciting public comments on a planning process that will ,“reimagine, redesign, and rebuild Owen Park,” the project website says. It plans to unveil a final draft design at a public meeting Aug. 27.
There have been discussions of a possible greenway through Swannanoa that could include a path through Owen Park since at least 2010. State government last year announced a $100,000 grant for a community group to update a feasibility study for 6.9 miles of path in the corridor. It would become part of the Fonta Flora State Trail, which is gradually being built between Morganton and Asheville.
In Bent Creek, the county wants to build a mixed-use development on 137 acres it owns off Ferry Road between Interstate 26 and Brevard Road..
The development would provide affordable housing to replace some of the 6,505 rental units Helene damaged or destroyed, Henry said.
More than half of the 650 units planned will meet affordable housing guidelines, Assistant County Manager Tim Love said after the meeting. The county is negotiating an agreement with a private company that would be the master developer for the project and the timeline for construction, which depends on efforts to secure funding, is uncertain, he said.
Lennie’s Law supported
Commissioners approved a resolution supporting a proposal called Lennie’s Law to establish bicycle safety zones in the state similar to school zones and construction zones. The cycling zones would be designated in areas where there tend to be more cyclists on the road. Traffic violations in the zones would carry heavier fines and other safety measures would be implemented in those areas.
Area residents have mounted a campaign to get the state General Assembly to pass a law authorizing the zones. The push began after a dump truck crossed the centerline and struck and killed two bicyclists, Leonard “Lennie” Antonelli and Jacob “Jake” Hill on N.C. 251 south of Marshall in July 2025. The road along the French Broad River in northern Buncombe and southern Madison counties is a popular bicycling route.
“The majority of drivers are courteous and respectful to cyclists. However, a minority are aggressive and threatening,” said John Dennis, president of the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club. “Anything that we can do to tone down the unsafe driving of the minority … would be an enormous win for safety.”
Tidbits
Commissioners also:
- Endorsed UNC Health’s proposal to build a 92-bed hospital at Westgate Shopping Center in Asheville. The nonprofit hospital system is competing with Mission Health, AdventHealth and Novant Health for permission to add hospital beds in Buncombe County. In May, commissioners also approved a letter supporting AdventHealth’s bid to add the beds at its hospital under construction in Weaverville. Commissioners are responding to requests by UNC and Advent for their backing and to demands by county residents for more competition for Mission Hospital, Chair Amanda Edwards said. There have been widespread complaints about the quality of care at Mission following its 2019 purchase by HCA, a for-profit company. State government had scheduled a public hearing on the competing bids for Wednesday morning.
- Approved a $1.6 million contract for design services for an indoor recreation center to be built at Buncombe County Sports Park in Enka. Proposed amenities include basketball and volleyball courts, locker rooms, a kitchen, space for community events and office space for the county Parks and Recreation Department.
- Approved an $85,000 economic development grant for Southeastern Container, contingent on the company’s completion of a plan to create 12 additional jobs and invest $31.3 million at its plant on Sand Hill Road in Enka. The company makes plastic containers and related items for Coca-Cola products. Commissioners also signed off on a $100,000 state grant for the project.
- Rezoned from commercial to residential use 6.8 acres adjoining the Asheville East KOA Holiday campground on U.S. 70 in Swannanoa. Much of the property lies within the 100-year floodplain and the 5-1 vote came despite related safety concerns.
- Heard complaints from Swannanoa residents about flooding they said is caused by clogged culverts under state-owned roads in Beacon Village.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners regularly meets every first and third Tuesday at 200 College St., Room 326, in downtown Asheville, beginning at 5 p.m. Its next regular meeting will take place Tuesday, Sept. 1. See the full recording and documents from the Aug. 18 meeting and an informal briefing that preceded it.
