A new statewide public art initiative Paint NC strives to create 100 Murals in 100 Counties led by North Carolina artist Max Dowdle. Large-scale murals will be installed in communities across the state, with a special focus on celebrating the people, places, and overlooked histories that define them. Buncombe County’s participation includes more than 3,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor mural work at Pack Memorial Library. Work on the murals will begin the week of May 11.  A Community-Guided Creative Process The mural’s development will be driven by public participation at every stage. County staff already voted on their top three design concepts including depictions of local plants, animals, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the French Broad River. The final design will depend largely on public input. Community members can review three design concepts below and vote through Friday, May 1, 2026. Library patrons can also vote in-person at the library. About the Designs The larger outdoor mural will wrap around Pack Memorial Library and will depict a collage of local images. Mural design mockups A, B, and C were laid out using various sources from the artist, including some artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Artist Max Dowdle shares, “In regards to AI, I do like to use it early in the process for iterative design work where I normally feed it my own drawings, paintings, and previous work as a means to get to the design heart of a question. Rest-assured, all work as it is put on the wall will be 100% human-driven, and the hand of the artist will be very apparent.” Red vertical lines indicate wall boundaries where the mural will wrap around exterior walls. Grey areas indicate windows and doors where paint will not be applied. The light blue lines throughout represent the French Broad River.

Charles D. Owen Park in Swannanoa was devastated by Tropical Storm Helene and has been closed since the storm due to damage – but that’s not the end of its story. The next chapter starts now, as Buncombe County Parks & Recreation partners with the community to reimagine, redesign, and rebuild Owen Park.   Explore this page to learn more about the project and find out how to get involved.

Buncombe County is building a plan to make walking easier in unincorporated areas of the County outside of municipal limits. The County’s first Pedestrian Plan is a big-picture vision for a network of sidewalks and crosswalks. The goal is to connect neighborhoods to key places like schools, job centers, and other important spots so people can walk more comfortably and conveniently.  Timeline  The project began in the summer of 2025 and is expected to wrap up within about 12 months.  Initial community engagement events and outreach will start in the fall of 2025. Surveys and feedback opportunities will gather important data along the way. Our community and the Steering Committee will offer guidance and direct the plan before it goes before the Board of Commissioners.  Funding  The Buncombe County Pedestrian plan is funded by Federal aid through the North Carolina Department of Transportation.  How to Get Involved To learn more about community meetings, Steering Committee opportunities, and feedback options, subscribe for updates below.