News

Three-city greenway connection envisioned

By Bill Moss, Published: March 15, 2016

The Village of Flat Rock and the town of Laurel Park plan to work with the city of Hendersonville on a greenway plan that could connect the three municipalities.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation awarded grants of $51,000 to Flat Rock and $40,000 to Laurel Park to draft a plan for bicycle and pedestrian pathways.
“This grant gives Flat Rock the opportunity to create an overall bicycle and pedestrian plan within our village as well as work with the county and other municipalities in a regional approach to the planning of greenways and safe routes for bicycle and pedestrian travel in the area,” Mayor Bob Staton said.

Staton and Laurel Park Town Manager Alison Melnikova said Tuesday that their towns plan to hire the same consultant and work in tandem on a planning process that will also include Hendersonville, which won an NCDOT grant last year for the same purpose.

"We'll be using the same consultant because a lot of our community characteristics are similar," Melnikova said. "The ultimate dream is that you would be able to walk or bike from Laurel Park to Hendersonville to Flat Rock. The process will be starting in early summer. I don't expect any public involvement or public meetings until June or July."

The planning grant initiative is jointly sponsored by the NCDOT Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation and the Transportation Planning Branch. To date, over $4 million has been awarded to 173 communities through the planning grant program.
 
Plans funded are not for one specific project, but represent a comprehensive strategy for expanding bicycle and pedestrian opportunities within a given municipality. These plans address facilities, programs, services and regulations that encourage safe walking and bicycling.

The planning grant initiative is jointly sponsored by the NCDOT Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation and the Transportation Planning Branch. Plans funded are not for one specific project but are meant to produce a comprehensive strategy for expanding bicycle and pedestrian opportunities. The plans address facilities, programs, services and regulations that encourage safe walking and bicycling.