Buncombe County recovery office outlines grant pipeline, 31 projects and landslide assessments

Kevin Madison, who introduced himself to the steering committee as Buncombe County’s recovery officer, said the county has stood up a recovery-office team that includes two project managers and a business analyst to support grant applications and coordination with community partners.

Madison said the county’s recovery plan currently lists about 31 framework projects with expanded subcomponents. He highlighted hazard mitigation and buyouts as central priorities, saying his team is pursuing funding through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) with North Carolina Emergency Management and FEMA and through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG‑DR) program.

“Those projects or those funding streams will fund a multitude of different elements for the recovery plan,” Madison said, describing potential uses such as an emergency operations center, emergency shelter capacity, early-warning systems and open-space acquisitions.

Madison told the committee that FEMA is funding a Grovemont landslide assessment at 100% for the design/assessment phase and that the county has funding to assess about 25 landslide sites countywide. He also said the federal government has announced an award of roughly $14.2 million for about 47 properties to support buyouts and acquisitions; staff did not provide a parcel list at the meeting but said they'll support the acquisition and land‑use steps once property lists are confirmed.

On active transportation, Madison and planning staff said Swannanoa recently received $979,620 for sidewalks and that the county is seeking additional funds to extend work beyond the initially targeted Whitson Avenue section. Staff cautioned that some sidewalk funding streams require a repair component to be eligible while other grants (including CDBG‑DR) can address new construction and broader infrastructure.

Madison described the typical timeline for acquisition‑style grant processes as lengthy, citing prior examples that ranged from roughly 19–24 months to as long as five years from application through acquisition for complex landslide acquisition projects. He said the county will need to return to the Board of Commissioners to request permission to apply for some grants and, later, to accept awards.

Staff emphasized that homeowner participation in buyouts remains voluntary until closing; property owners can decline up until the point of sale and title transfer. Madison encouraged committee members to engage with the recovery office and said staff would provide contact information and follow up on property lists and timelines.

The briefing closed with staff noting next steps for coordination with economic development and technical teams and that formal public‑comment steps are required for certain HUD and CDBG‑DR awards.