BRUNSWICK COUNTY — Four out of five development proposals, totalling 341 single-family residential units, were approved for the fastest growing county in North Carolina.
READ MORE: No-go on development moratorium in Brunswick County, officials cite legal concerns
The Brunswick County Planning Board met Nov. 12 to discuss three major subdivisions and two planned development proposals. They were tabled at the public hearing on Oct. 14 to allow for the county to recover from the effects of Potential Tropical Cyclone 8.
The proposals have all been reviewed by the county’s technical review committee board and approved with recommendations from departments overseeing stormwater, fire services and utilities. Approval by the planning board is the next step, which would allow developers to get the necessary building permits.
Here are the projects that were voted upon:
Sterling Oaks
Well-known developer Norris & Bland Consulting Engineering P.C. had three projects addressed Tuesday.
One proposed expanding a previously approved plan for Sterling Oaks, formerly called Supsura Tract. It was originally approved in 2021 and amended in 2022 to bring 208 single-family units on 45.78 acres of land.
Phase one is already under construction for roads, water and sewage and is expected to be completed by 2026.
However, the developer now wants to add more in phase four. The group is looking to bring 130 additional single-family units to 30.34 acres adjacent to the previously approved area. The total development would cover 76.12 acres with 338 single family units and would see a density of 4.44 dwelling units per acre.
It’s currently zoned as SBR-6000, site-built high-density residential, and is surrounded primarily by RR zones, which is rural residential.
The total development will have a 30-foot buffer of vegetation around the perimeter per requirement. And the expansion site plan lays out 3.59 acres of recreational space, a 20-foot emergency access lane leading to Ash-Little River Road, and two stormwater pods to satisfy the 100-year storm requirement.
A short turn lane northbound on Ash-Little River Road is required per NCDOT turn lane warrant analysis as it is predicted to bring in 1,988 vehicle trips per day.
The expansion project was approved unanimously with no public comments and little discussion from the planning board.
Watson Tract
There was also little discussion about another Norris & Bland Consulting Engineering application, with no public comments. The developer, represented by engineer Jody Bland, requested 171 residential units on 50.17 acres of land along Northwest Road in Leland.
A single entrance will lead to 95 single-family units and 76 duplexes. The overall density is 2.89 units per acre.
There are also three large lots at the back of the property that Bland explained are retained by the property owner for private use but are part of the planned development.
The plot is zoned as rural residential and is primarily surrounded by other RR zones with single-family units and vacant land.
Bland mentions a neighboring property owner who the company has met with several times, including at the neighborhood meeting in September. The three larger lots are about 150 feet from her property line, and there is also a 30 foot buffer at the back of those lots.
The property owner made one request, according to Bland.
The development will have three stub outs, one bordering the neighbor’s property. She requested that stub out stop at the 30 foot buffer rather than the property line. Norris & Bland agreed.
“We’re trying to accommodate her as much as possible,” Bland said.
There are no wetlands or flood zones on site, but there will be a storm pond at the south end of the property, near the duplexes, to accommodate drainage and a 100-year storm event.
A technical review committee meeting was held in September, and the planned development was approved unanimously by the planning board.
Parker Tract
In Shallotte, on Shellpoint Road SW between Fletcher Hewett Road, High Meadows Drive and the Shallotte River, a major subdivision for 154 single-family lots was on the table. Another development by Norris & Bland Consulting Engineering, Parker Tract will be built on 91.41 acres zoned R-6000 — high density residential— allowing 1.68 units per acre.
ALSO: Wanting more details, residents push back on 154 homes planned in Shallotte
In the center of the 154-unit development plan is a pond surrounded by marshlands, which raised concerns from both board members and local residents regarding stormwater flooding.
“Over the last few years, when we have a high tide that’s associated with a high moon, the water gets really high and it comes up over my dock and walkway,” Terry Alston said of the Shallotte River, which is prone rising and making its surrounding marshlands west of the development even more wet.
She was speaking on behalf of herself and neighbor, Randy Mayfield.
“So if it affects me, it affects all of that,” Alston continued.
Alston also brought up the concern of septic systems, to which the board later pointed out are subject to flooding as well.
“154 proposed units with septic systems and septic fields,” Alston started. “That’s a lot of septic systems in a relatively small area.”
Pages said that the developer is building to meet a 100-year flood requirement, but the board said the 100-year flood issue is “being exceeded” regularly in recent years. Case in point: Brunswick County recently endured a one-in-1,000 year flood event, from an unnamed storm, potential cyclone eight, in September, leaving behind massive road destruction and home damage.
Residents also pushed back on the development in September during a meeting held with the developer.
The board ultimately agreed with Alston and Mayfield’s concerns and denied the subdivision due to the risk of having major septic fields in close proximity to the river and local homeowners.
Maco Commons
One of three major subdivisions proposed was from 2 Tracts Development LLC.
The group sought approval of a 25 single-family unit development along Maco Road NE. The site spans 27.10 acres, with a density of 0.92 housing units per acre.
The applicant has already begun clearing the site, but can’t begin construction until approved and the required building permits are obtained.
The area is currently zoned as rural residential, which designates the land to low-residential development and agricultural purposes. Each lot will be greater than the 20,000-square-foot minimum, each outfitted with its private well for drinking water.
The project, reviewed by the county’s technical review committee in August, originally proposed 32 lots on this property, but was scrutinized due to the 9.41 acres of wetlands in the area. The wetlands were said to cause space limitations and pose challenges for the placement of private wells and wastewater systems for 23 of the proposed units. This was resolved by establishing shared septic systems and building smaller homes in the limited areas. Bradley Harrell, a member and organizer of 2 Tracts Development, said that the number of homes serviced by a shared septic system depends on the soil content of each lot.
A majority of the space lies on flood zone “A” territory, deemed high risk for flooding, but would require further examination for confirmation. During the hearing, Pages said that “A” flood zones are typically recategorized as “AE” after a hydrology study is done. While still a high risk zone, it is able to obtain construction permits to build at or above the base flood level elevation.
Local homeowner and property neighbor Ian Johnson addressed concerns about a new, private, asphalt road — Billfish Drive — being built on his easement and asked who would be financially responsible for repairing its future deterioration. Additionally, this road would pave over a small, damaged culvert, which Johnson mentioned gets clogged during storms, so the gravel road atop it has become a levee in recent years. The accidental levee has helped with runoff and storm drainage, Johnson said, and the new road would stop that.
Harrell said that Johnson would not have to pay for future road repairs, but the culvert is Johnson’s responsibility.
The major subdivision was approved on the condition that the developer meet with Johnson to discuss potentially aiding him with installing a larger culvert to compensate for the loss of levee.
Harper Acres
The planning board approved a subdivision of 15 single-family units on 7.89 acres, located off Robert Ruark Drive SE in Southport. A single private road, to be named Harper Acres Lane, will be developed with a cul-de-sac at the end, housing the 1.88 units-per-acre-dense tracts on either side of the road. The lots would vary between 14,000 and 17,000 square feet.
Applicant Tommy Scheetz is the owner of Headwaters Engineering of the Cape Fear, which had two developments approved in February — Leaning Pine, which has 38 single-family units in Bolivia and Price Tract, which has 164 single-family units in Calabash.
The parcel is heavily wooded and zoned as R-7500, medium density residential, for the county. The development site backs up to another wooded space zoned as PUD, planned unit development, for the City of Southport.
Lora Sharkey, a neighbor to the property, requested an additional buffer between the development and the conserved open space to protect wildlife and aesthetics.
Another public commenter, Craig Stoeckle, echoed the importance of preserving the wildlife.
“There is very little open space,” Stoeckle said. “Two postage stamp-sized pieces of land; one they would like to build on, the second is right next to where Ms. Sharkey lives,” he continued.
Southport resident Karen Mosteller, who also serves on the board of alderman, pointed out during public comment that shrinking the lot sizes would make room for the buffer Stoeckle and Sharkey both asked for.
“The extra land doesn’t make it more valuable,” Mosteller said of the lot sizes.
Scheetz ensured the nearby residents there will be less tree cutting due to the plan’s low-density stormwater design, which should conserve some of the natural plants on the lots. He said he also will put a 20-foot buffer separating the tract from the road.
A buffer is not required for major subdivisions and Scheetz said there’s no reason to add another one. He repeatedly stated the project goes “above and beyond” the requirements.
Scheetz explained that a 15-unit subdivision is very small and its density is 30% of the maximum allowed in an R-7500 zone. Furthermore, only 20% of the development will be impervious surface, which helps minimize stormwater runoff.
“You won’t find a subdivision like this. This is rare, how low-dense it is,” Scheetz concluded.
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