Buncombe County Faces Rising Bear Encounters and Housing Challenges
Buncombe County is grappling with a growing issue of bear-related incidents. At a recent Board of Commissioners meeting, officials discussed the need for more effective measures to mitigate risks posed by bears to both property and public safety.
According to Ashley Hobbs, a biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Buncombe County has witnessed more bear-related injuries than the rest of North Carolina combined since 2017. The county reported 11 injuries, compared to just seven in the rest of the state. Additionally, bears have broken into over 250 homes in Buncombe during this period, contributing to the high volume of calls to the state’s bear issue hotline.
Hobbs explained that bears have become accustomed to feeding on human-provided food sources like garbage and pet food, which diminishes their natural fear of humans. “We’re having more people, more development, more foods on the landscape and thus more bears and more problems,” she noted. This observation aligns with research from N.C. State University suggesting that bears in the Asheville area are becoming larger and reproducing earlier due to food availability.
Efforts to relocate bears often fail as many return to their original locations or do not survive the move, Hobbs said. She urged local authorities to inform residents about the negative impact of feeding bears and to promote the use of bear-resistant trash cans.
Despite the urgency, commissioners did not take formal action. Some pointed out the challenges residents face in obtaining bear-resistant bins, which cost $10 per month to lease or $320 to purchase. Currently, only 2,853 of FCC Environmental Services’ 40,000 customers in the county use these bins. Hobbs emphasized, “We need everyone, or the vast majority of people, to have those carts,” while acknowledging the associated costs.
For more on bear conflict prevention and related initiatives, visit here.
Funding Shortfalls for Affordable Housing
At the same meeting, Buncombe County commissioners expressed disappointment over the allocation of state disaster relief funds. Out of $69.1 million earmarked for affordable housing, only $1.7 million was designated for Buncombe County. Matthew Cable, the county’s community development division manager, stated that this leaves the county $15 million short of the funds required to develop affordable housing on Coxe Avenue.
Cable indicated that the project, estimated to cost $74.5 million by March 2025, was left unfunded by the city’s share of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Relief funds. With 981 homes destroyed in Western North Carolina due to Helene, including 285 in Buncombe’s unincorporated areas, the county is exploring alternative financing options for the project. A referendum to authorize borrowing $40 million for housing is on the ballot this November.
Commissioner Parker Sloan voiced frustration over the state’s allocation process, saying, “I think the state of North Carolina, the governor’s office and the agencies … under him screwed this up royally.”
Park Development, Road Cleanup, and Land Conservation
Additional topics at the meeting included:
— Approval of a $1.4 million contract with Equinox Environmental to create a master plan for Deaverview Park, which sits on 342 acres purchased by the county. The plan is expected by next summer, with public access required by 2029.
— A presentation on a $190,000 project to hire contractors for litter removal from secondary roads. The initiative aims to compensate for minimal state funding for trash pickup on these roads.
— Approval of $251,500 for conservation easements on 80 acres of the former Camp Sequoyah property and $225,800 for future easements on 170 acres in Buncombe County.
For more details on the meeting, a video is available here, with supporting documents here. The next meeting is scheduled for October 6 in downtown Asheville.
