NEW HANOVER COUNTY — An unpopular apartment complex with workforce housing fell to commissioner disfavor for the second time.
READ MORE: Apartment complex rejected by commissioners back on the table, residents start petition
The New Hanover County commissioners met Monday to discuss several rezonings, including one to convert 4.65 acres at 6634 Carolina Beach Road from low-density residential to residential multi-family moderate density. Applicants and property owners Giovanni Ippolito and Tanya Vlacancich of New York proposed a 64-unit project, 10% of which would be dedicated to workforce housing.
The development, largely unchanged from when it was voted down by commissioners last year, seemingly needed only one mind to change for approval. At that time, Commissioners Dane Scalise and Jonathan Barfield were the minority in favor of passage
Instead, commissioner opinion went the opposite direction at Monday’s meeting.
“Last year, I voted in favor of not a majority — I regret that vote,” Scalise said.
As he continued, Scalise said the board would be “making a mistake” by approving what he saw as an unchanged concept, as it would encourage other rejected developers to do the same.
Other than that, the commissioners revolved around traffic safety and access to amenities and services; the public has also been putting on the pressure to deny the request.
Ultimately, the owners’ representative, Cindee Wolf, withdrew the application after commissioners indicated denial was imminent. Doing so will allow the applicant to forgo the one-year waiting period to resubmit the application.
The project has gone through revision in accordance with feedback, as Wolfe described to the planning board last month.
The original proposal was a 78-unit complex, with a single four-story building, a parking garage and pickleball courts. It was withdrawn from a January 2023 planning board agenda due to planning staff recommending reduced height and density.
When it returned with only two fewer units, the planning board passed it unanimously under the condition all buildings be no higher than two stories, bringing the unit number to 64.
The compromise couldn’t muster enough support from commissioners in May 2023, as they took issue with increased traffic hazards on Carolina Beach Road and negative neighborhood impacts associated with an upzoning to higher density.
At Monday’s meeting, Wolfe argued the county needed projects like this to keep up with housing demand, especially in the south where residential development skews toward single-family homes.
She elaborated that the project answers the county’s call for more diverse housing. According to the county’s 2022 housing needs assessment, there’s an estimated 12,000-unit gap in rental properties over the next 10 years per population projections.
“If we postpone these types of actions and investments — and courage is needed to address our housing crisis — we’re not just undermining the wellbeing of the whole community, but we’re undermining our long term economic viability and workforce development,” she said.
Wolf also argued the placement of the project was also in line with the county’s comprehensive plan and serves as a transition from low- to high-density, even as those in opposition say it’s not harmonious with their surrounding properties.
According to the county’s land code, the surrounding R-15 properties are intended for lands that “can serve as a transition between very low density residential development patterns and smaller lot, more dense residential areas. Although, the code discourages development that “substantially interferes with the quiet residential and recreational nature of the district.”
The complex offers a 73-foot setback from neighbors (the requirement is 30 feet) and an 8-foot screening fence, though the developers focused parking in the interior to prevent overflow outside it.
Per the opposition, the board received 37 constituent emails, with four speaking before commissioners at Monday’s meeting. Most complained the Palm Grove project doesn’t fit in their neighborhood. Some argued the need for additional apartments is not there, at least not in the Monkey Junction area.
The majority of residents discouraged adding to the already high volume of traffic on Carolina Beach Road, with no traffic improvements planned for years. Plus, the area lacks sidewalks or multi-modal paths; the nearest bus stop is more than 3 miles away.
“We just don’t have the infrastructure on Carolina Beach Road, in that small parcel of land, for those of us who live, work to be safe,” resident Penny Willmering said. “It’s time to protect those of us who are residents and those of us who are voters who live in that neighborhood.”
Commissioners Rob Zapple and LeAnn Pierce sided with the protestors.
Zapple indicated he was curious about recent housing supply statistics showing demand is easing up as more units come onto the market.
“It’s too early to say it’s a trend, but I noted this past month the housing supply is at the highest level it’s been at since 2020; it’s up 76% from last year,” Zapple said. “That’s the supply, meaning that on the books, just under 1,000 homes in New Hanover County. I’ve also noticed the same thing about rents in rental spaces coming down in the offering of a month or a month and a half free rent.”
He noted his nay wasn’t based on those observations alone, also calling the traffic situation near the site “dangerous.” Pierce agreed.
“The traffic signalization, if that’s what we call it, is just not up to where it should be on these roads,” Pierce said. “So that is my main area [of concern], of traffic and the safety in that area, and to increase density and increase the number of people there would be a concern for me.”
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