The Swannanoa Pride Community Coalition to hold initial public meeting. Meeting attendees will have the chance to ask questions and express their views and concerns…read more…
The Swannanoa Pride Community Coalition, a new organization being formed to help shape the future of Swannanoa, will hold a Community Meeting on October 17 at 7pm at the Swannanoa Fire Station, 103 South Ave, in Beacon Village. Knowledgeable resource people will be on hand to present information about development, the proposed County zoning plan, incorporation and annexation, the I-70 corridor study, and the SwannanoaRiver. Meeting attendees will have the chance to ask questions and express their views and concerns…

What: The Future of Swannanoa – Where do you fit in?

Learn the Facts…Ask Questions… Make Your Voice Heard

Where: Swannanoa Fire Department
103 South Ave, Beacon Village, Swannanoa NC

More Info: Call Carol Groben at 686-4417 or J. Clarkson at 273-7119

Organized by the Swannanoa Pride Community Coalition

Press Release for October 17 – Swannanoa Community Meeting

The Swannanoa Pride Community Coalition, a new organization being formed to help shape the future of Swannanoa, will hold a Community Meeting on October 17 at 7pm at the Swannanoa Fire Station, 103 South Ave, in Beacon Village. Knowledgeable resource people will be on hand to present information about development, the proposed County zoning plan, incorporation and annexation, the I-70 corridor study, and the SwannanoaRiver. Meeting attendees will have the chance to ask questions and express their views and concerns.

Swannanoa, an unincorporated community nestled between Asheville and Black Mountain , was recently called the fastest growing town in Buncombe County . An explosion of interest in this formerly sleepy little mill town – and a recognition that change is coming – has brought residents together in an effort to take charge of their own destiny.

Last year, Swannanoa residents worked with the Friends of the Swannanoa Library, Warren Wilson College, Quality Forward and other local groups to organize Swannanoa Pride Day, a clean-up and community building event. An informal group of concerned residents, including some of those involved with Swannanoa Pride Day, began meeting this summer to research the issues affecting the community and explore ways for citizens to participate in the processes that will determine Swannanoa’s future. The Swannanoa Pride Community Coalition was born out of these meetings.

"Our goal is to build a broad-based coalition of community residents” said Carol Groben, one of the organizers of the October 17 meeting. “We want to get the facts out and inform people about what’s happening in Swannanoa, but we also want to know what people are most interested in and concerned about. Swannanoa is a wonderful place, with a rich and vibrant history. The community needs a voice, and we hope that the Swannanoa Pride Community Coalition can help provide that voice.” The newly-formed group has spent the last two months preparing for the first in a series of public meetings which will add Swannanoa to the growing list of Western North Carolina communities that are taking a proactive role in managing growth and change.

Speakers at the October 17 community meeting will include Buncombe County Planner Jim Coman. He’ll give a status report on the major housing developments that are in progress or planned for Swannanoa, including the proposed Cliffs development. With nearly 600 luxury home sites planned on over 1200 acres, the Cliffs is the largest development submitted to the County since it began regulating rural subdivisions in the 1990s. Coman will also explain what’s happening at the County level with proposed zoning regulations, and the new steep slope and stormwater runoff ordinances. Karen Cragnolin, Executive Director of Riverlink, will talk about the plans for flood-damaged properties along the SwannanoaRiver, and how the community might best protect and enhance its river resources. Local resident Nancy Allen will discuss the pros and cons of incorporation, and Swannanoa Fire Chief Anthony Penland will present information on annexation. J.Clarkson, one of the meeting organizers and a member of the U.S. 70 Corridor Study Steering Committee, will give a status report on the U.S. 70 study. Representatives from local government and other groups will be on hand to answer questions during the public question and comment period that will follow the factual presentations. Information on how to become involved in the Swannanoa Pride Community Coalition will also be available.

Clarkson says the Coalition is growing daily. “There’s a real energy bringing Swannanoans together to talk about their hopes and concerns for this community. People are reaching across traditional boundaries in the community to create a strong people-based organization, united around a common desire to build a positive future for Swannanoa.”