Connect Buncombe

08/27/2026

07/10/2026

A huge thanks to Burial Beer Co. for becoming a visionary sponsor of our organization! This level of support will help further our mission of expanding greenways throughout our region.

We look forward to working together on projects in support of their new home in the River Arts District (Curve Studios), just a short distance from the French Broad River Greenway system.

In the meantime, be sure to stop in one of their existing locations (Collier Ave or Forestry Camp in Biltmore Village) and grab a beer! High five the bartender and tell them how much you appreciate their support!

06/12/2026

Exploration Local is a great local podcast - take a listen to this recent episode about the possibilities of a future greenway in Swannanoa! We are proud of all the work our partners at Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa (FANS) and all the momentum they've created recently to keep this vision going!

NEW EPISODE: The Swannanoa Greenway: More Than a Trail | Bradley Spiegel & Carol Groben (Link in Bio)

When most people hear “greenway,” they think of a trail.

But what if it could also help a community become more resilient?

After Hurricane Helene, the conversation around the proposed Swannanoa Greenway took on new meaning. In this episode, I sit down with Bradley Spiegel and Carol Grobin to explore how a greenway could support flood mitigation, safer connections between neighborhoods, and the long-term future of Swannanoa.

This one is about much more than a trail.

🎙️ Link in bio, or listen on your favorite podcast platform.

Equinox
Great Trails NC
Connect Buncombe
RiverLink
Equinox
MADE X MTNS

06/12/2026

Huge shoutout to our friend and longtime greenway planner & advocate in Buncombe County, Lucy Crown, for all she has done in her professional and personal career and for her recent retirement! Lucy has been instrumental in getting getting things done for both the County and the City of Asheville, and we can't thank her enough!

Check out this article: "People at Work: The woman behind Asheville’s greenways:"
https://828newsnow.com/news/228822-people-at-work-the-woman-behind-ashevilles-greenways/?fbclid=IwY2xjawSZAMRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETE1YzJRdm42dHFpdmFJSXVGc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHhfJrOlqRcCUZK1LAxKmD0DahB-y10lSKZmnM2fXvPAMBXgQoF77B5ctV5o__aem_3oS1lgHN2Y6_hZDE8eLWEg

The longtime city planner Lucy Crown spent years advancing projects designed to make Asheville safer, more walkable and more connected

06/02/2026

June is here and we are excited to announce our next Brewing for Greenways event this Thursday! Join us at on Collier from 5-7pm for a refreshing pint in the beer garden. We’ll have board members available to chat about all the different projects we are focusing on throughout the county. Full kitchen, wine, cider and N/A options also available. Summer is the perfect time to learn about our growing network….come hang!

06/02/2026

Thursday's weather looks perfect (~80 degrees and sunny!) for our next Brewing for Greenways event. This week we are teaming up with Burial Beer Co. from 5-7PM at their Collier location. Come out, grab a pint, and learn how you can get involved in supporting our work. Full kitchen, N/A options, wine, and cider also available.

05/26/2026

Lisa Raleigh, Executive Director of RiverLink, did an excellent job sharing the importance of riparian zones, the state of our rivers after Tropical Storm Helene, and protecting the French Broad River. Give it a listen!

Lisa has been a big supporter of Connect Buncombe and greenways in Buncombe County, citing them as critical infrastructure in climate resilience when sited in well-planned locations along rivers, versus less compatible development.

Rivers, Floods, and a Human Reckoning | Lisa Raleigh, PhD | TEDxAsheville

05/01/2026

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in our most recent Brewing for Greenways event at New Belgium Brewing - Asheville!

Brewing for Greenways is an on-going, multi-brewery effort to raise funds and awareness for the planned public greenway and trail network that will connect people and places in Buncombe County. Proceeds from the collaborations support Connect Buncombe and greenway projects in Buncombe County.

Save the dates for our next event:

Friday, May 15 at Riverside Rhapsody (5-7pm)
..featuring their new “Riverwave Hazy IPA” made with 100% Riverbend Malt House malt.

We can't wait to see you there!

04/28/2026

Thanks to Mark Tooley of the Friends of the Ecusta Trail for presenting, along with many others, at our Rising Strong event in March in Swannanoa! The Ecusta Trail is truly something to aspire to!

04/24/2026

The Haw Creek Park Greenway will connect Haw Creek Park to Arco Road within the Haw Creek Community of Asheville.

Our friends at the Haw Creek Community Association have made great progress on the Haw Creek Park Greenway Connector since we initially helped them in 2023 with both technical advice and a mini-grant.

They have been very successful both raising money (while using our mini-grant as a match) and getting important studies done before getting ready to build the path.

In fact, they applied for and received a $127,000 grant from the Buncombe County Open Space Passive Recreation Bond, which will be used for all of the studies, permitting, creek bank stabilization, and construction of the trail and footbridge!

It's a very important connection to the community, as it will create a professionally-designed and sustainable trail and safe passage for pedestrians in an area without sidewalks.

The Haw Creek Park Greenway will provide:
🌿 an important, safe connection between a public City park and neighborhoods and homes
🌿 a professionally engineered footbridge to provide passage over a tributary to Haw Creek
🌿 native plantings along the trail with invasive plant removal
🌿 a place for visitors, community members, families, and children to connect with nature and our waterways

Learn more at ilovehawcreek.org/greenway