A long-planned path will not be built

Buncombe County has stopped pursuing the Enka Heritage Trail, ending a vision first developed in 2014 for a roughly 2.5-mile walking and biking route along Hominy Creek near the Bob Lewis Ballpark.

The plan aimed to connect recreational spaces and make it easier for Enka-Candler residents to reach parks and other destinations without driving.

After 12 years of meetings, engineering and negotiations, the proposed trail never reached construction.

How the project became stalled

Early plans involved Buncombe County, the owners of the Enka Commerce Park property and the Enka Youth Sports Organization, which operates the ballpark.

Environmental review of the former industrial property, changing financial needs and disagreements about access to land contributed to delays.

A 2019 easement agreement contemplated roughly 53 acres of land for the greenway, but the necessary transfer was never completed.

County representatives say the land was to be provided without payment under earlier agreements. Property owners and sports organization representatives say county support for the ballpark and related facilities fell short of expectations.

The competing accounts have produced a public dispute over obligations and funding; neither side's assertions should be treated as a settled court determination.

What happened to the money?

A substantial amount of state, federal and regional funding had been identified for different portions of the Enka recreation plan.

The Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority says $2 million earmarked for the trail had not been disbursed, while federal and local funding of approximately $6 million was also identified for the greenway.

County officials reported $367,000 spent on engineering and design, much of it reimbursable through federal transportation funds.

The design remained only about one-quarter complete because the parties could not settle a route across the property.

What residents have instead

Buncombe County has built a paved half-mile path within Buncombe County Sports Park, near the area's soccer fields.

The shorter route is useful for recreation, but it does not provide the neighborhood-scale connection originally imagined along Hominy Creek.

Connect Enka, the volunteer community organization that supported the larger greenway, has since disbanded.

Where things stand

The county says it is focusing on connections within the sports park and nearby Sand Hill School rather than restarting the Enka Heritage Trail.

For residents, the outcome raises questions about public investment, land agreements and how future trail partnerships can avoid prolonged delays.

The abandoned trail remains an important local planning lesson even as other greenway projects move ahead elsewhere in Western North Carolina.