New Subdivision Proposal To
Be
Studied In Work Session
BY LYNN CARLSON
Occan Isle Beach commissioners, not
fully satisfied with the proposed new subdi
vision ordinance drafted by a consultant,
tabled the measure and scheduled a joint
work session between themselves and the
planning board.
In a public hearing Tuesday morning,
the only comments on the proposed new or
dinance came from the town's consultant,
commissioners and planning board mem
bers.
DcCarol Williamson, planning board
chairman and real estate developer, said his
board has "many problems" with the draft
ordinance and rccommcndcd work sessions
between the town and planning boards and
Town Attorney Elva Jess.
"It is beyond (the planning board's) abil
ity to bring you recommendations on this. It
would be better for us to get this right the
first time than to have to changc it later."
Williamson charged that the proposal's
14-day deadline for recording subdivision
plats after final town approval would "hurt
and hinder" carefully planned development.
"This would do away with long-term
planning" and "penalize people who look in
to the future for five or 10 years,"
Williamson argued, since property taxes on
" What you dream today may take place 10 years
from now, but you want to get preliminary
approval... You want to feel like you 11 be allowed
to finish what you started
?DeCarol Williamson, Planning Board Chairman
subdivided lots greatly cxcccd those on un- DeCarol Williamson said laws, rcgula
dcveloped tracts. lions and elected officials are subject to
Williamson referred to his father, Odcll change between preliminary and final ap
Williamson, and said, "If Mr. Williamson proval. "What you dream today may take
has to record anything he docs, the property place 10 years from now, but you want to
taxes will go out of sight." get preliminary approval. And when you
Odcll Williamson currently is the high- make a commitment of time and money, you
est-paying non-corporate taxpayer in want to feel like you'll be allowed to finish
Brunswick County and is sixth among all what you started."
county taxpayers, having had a 1992 tax bill Commissioners Bill Benton and Debbie
of SI88,900 on property valued at S27.8 Fox said they agreed.
million. Planning Board Member Ken Proctor,
Consultant Roger Briggs countered that who said he was speaking as a private citi
developcrs can get preliminary approval on zen, also agreed, calling the proposal "a ma
entire subdivisions and then seek final ap- jor hamper to large developers."
proval only for the lots they wish to sell A work session was scheduled for
right away. "You can seek final approval on Tuesday, April 20, at 8 a.m in the town hall,
just one lot," he said. At work sessions, elected and appointed of
Ficials may discuss issues but lake no formal
actions. Such sessions arc open to the pub
lic, though public comments arc not ordinar
ily allowed.
Mouse-Moving Amendment
The commissioners passed without dis
cussion an amendment to the zoning ordi
nance restricting the movement and reloca
tion of houses uii die beach. Property own
ers will be required to move houses within
six months of the date of their permit to do
so and specifies how and when structures
may be moved.
The amendment sets permit fees and man
dates that the exterior appcarancc of
dwellings be made "equal or superior to the
general nature and character of the neigh
borhood" into which they arc moved.
DcCarol Williamson reported that the
planning board found the new rules "pcr
fcctly acceptable and a good idea."
The only public comment came from
Odcll Williamson, who said, "You've been
letting some mighty sorry houses move on
this beach. Wc don't need them hcrc...l hope
you've got enough (in the ordinance) to take
care of it."
In other business the board:
?announced that the town has been verified
for Class 8 federal flood insurance rating,
entitling property owners in the flood hazard
zone to rcccive a 10 percent discount off
their federal flood insurance premiums,
?approved recommendations from
Commissioner Debbie Fox for a monthly
residential pick-up of yard debris by
Chambers Inc. on the last Friday of each
month and for the town to provide a com
partmentalized recycling container for news
paper, aluminum cans and plastic beverage
bottles;
?announced that the Ocean Isle Beach
Property Owners Association will sponsor
its annual "Trash Bash" on May 22, starting
at 10 a.m. and meeting at the Museum of
Coastal Carolina.
?learned from Building Inspector Druicd
Robcrson that S30.790 in Coastal Area
Management Act (CAMA) permit fees were
collected in the town through the end of
March?"double what we had this time last
year,"
?also heard from Robinson that Brunswick
County has written President Bill Clinton to
ask for an acceleration of the Federal
Emergency Management Administration
(FEMA) disaster area declaration following
the March 13 storm. "The storm last
Monday gave us even more damage to our
dunes," Robcrson added.
Parking Lot Becomes Issue In
OIB Subdivision Approval
BY LYNN CARLSON consider releasing the parking lot to
Principals in Ocean Isle Part- the developers to sell as a homesite.
nership hit a snag with the town In an hour-long debate, commis
board on Tuesday when they at- sioners, the partners and planning
tempted to relocate a public paricing board members debated whether the
lot they had previously dedicated to partners have been treated fairly in
the town as a courtesy. their three months of dealing with
In seeking approval for the the town on the Ross, Crouse and
Summer Place subdivision, to be de- Summer Place subdivisions.
veloped just west of town hall be- Summer Place is between the
iween the ocean and sound, the part- cceanfront Ross subdivision and the
ners asked the town board to "un- soundfront Crouse subdivision, both
dedicate" a public parking lot on of which were previously approved
West First Street between Shelby after lengthy study by the planning
Street and Dunesidc Drive. board and commissioners. The park
They say they will relocate public ^lot was Planned in the Ross sub
oarkine to two 25-foot-wide street- dlvls,Qn on suggestion of the town
J? board- the current subdivi
side strips about a halt-block farther .. ? .
. . f__ *"* sion ordinance does not require one.
back from the ocean. , _ .
We were under severe time con
The board unanimously approved straints to buy this property and de
Summer Place, but required the part- velop it," partner Phil Holcomb told
ners to get permission from people the board. "We had to develop the
who have bought property in the 31- soundside differently than we had
lot Ross Subdivision before it will planned. We gave the town Fourth
Street, then we had to wait to see
where it would go. We have cooper
ated with the town fully; we're sim
ply asking to relocate a parking lot
so that it will actually serve the pub
lic better than what we have."
Holcomb and his partners John
Sutton and Stuart Cooke argued that
the new parking lot plan will be
safer for drivers and will accommo
date more vehicles.
They were defended by Planning
Board Member Ken Proctor who
said, "They've been through this
with us three times, and we keep
changing the rules."
Town Attorney Elva Jess argued
that it is not a simple matter to re
verse dedication of property to be
used by the public. "You didn't only
dedicate this to the town, you dedi
cated it to the subdivision owners as
well," she said.
Town Utilities Commissioner and
developer Odcll Williams objected
strongly to the partners' plans, say
ing, "Somebody could sue, if they
bought property (in the Ross subdi
vision) depending on a parking lot,
and you deed this property back."
"We're just asking to move it
back 50 feet," Sutton said.
Williamson criticized the partners
for developing the tract as three sep
arate subdivisions and said the town
has "leaned over backward" to work
with the partners.
Commissioner Debbie Fox said, end up having to picking up the
"1 personally have no problem wilh trash."
them moving the parking lot or with Commissioner Kendall Suh's sug
approving Summer Place. But 1 gestion for a public hearing died for
don't feci the town could withdraw lack of support. Suh said he favored
the parking lot without the pcrmis- keeping the parking where originally
sion of people who've been sold planned because of proximity to a
lots." dedicated beach access.
Proctor said that should be sim- "I don't see that a public hearing
pie, since "the residents don't want a is necessary," Fox said. "We're not
parking lot at all. I live in that area, taking something away, we're sub
and I don't want one. The residents stituling something."
Shallotte Planning Board
Finishing Up ETJ Zoning
BY DOUG RUTTER made about 30 changcs to the pro
If turnout and comments at a posed map following January's
hearing last week are any indication, hearing. The board heard a few
most Shalloue area residents arc more requested changcs last week
content with the town's plans to that could affect individual lots.
zone property beyond the city limits. Generally speaking, planners
Shalloue Planning Board held its have suggested most of the ETJ be
second public hearing Thursday on a zoned residential, either RA-15 or
proposal to zone the extraterritorial RAM-15. Both districts arc intended
area, which includes most land with- for residential and agricultural uses,
in one mile of the town limits. Some sections of the extratcrritor
Compared to a lengthy and some- ial area have been proposed for the
times heated first hearing in January, B-2 business district, which carries a
turnout last week was light and the minimum lot size requirement of
crowd generally in agreement with 20,000 square feet.
what the town has proposed. At last week's hearing, landown
"Your input in January, 1 feel and ers Bobby Long and Dcedy White
the planning board feels, made this asked the planning board to reduce
better," Planning Board Chairman the minimum lot size in the com
Carson Durham told a crowd of mercial district
about 40 people at town hall. Long said commercial lots inside
After more than a year of work on the town can be as small as 10,000
the zoning map and regulations, the square feet, and the minimum size in
planning board was expected to fin- the county zoning ordinance is
ish its work this week before passing 15,000 square feeL
its Final recommendations on to the "I would ask that you reconsider
board of aldermen. and consider reducing that," Long
Officials have been working on said. "I know we're all concerned
zoning since the ETJ was created in about the density, but I think it
September 1991. The town will en- would be more equitable if it was
force the state building code and its less than 20,000."
zoning rules in the area to control White suggested the minimum lot
the type of development that occurs size in the B-2 district be dropped to
near town. 15,000 square feet.
Durham said the planning board Also last week, Jason Simmons
asked that his property next to the
Shallottc Moose Lodge be zoned
commercial instead of residential.
Simmons said he bought the land as
commercial and plans to eventually
locate his business there.
"1 paid a lot more for the property
than I ever could get out of it as resi
dential," he said. "It would present
an extreme hardship if it isn't zoned
commercial."
The ETJ includes about 2,000
tracts of land and extends to the
south end of the U.S. 17 bypass and
north to Royal Oak and Red Bug
roads. It also takes in land as far
west as McMilly Road and east on
N.C. 179 to Hale Swamp Road.
Durham said the planning board
tried to use. mads streams or lot
lines wherever possible as the ETJ
boundaries. "We tried to follow
some logical line," he said.
People who live or own property
in the ETJ will not receive town ser
vices or pay town taxes, unless they
are annexed into Shallotie. Town of
ficials say there arc no current plans
to annex.
There were no public comments
last week on another town proposal
to delete a section of the town code
that requires the owner of adjoining
lots that don't meet minimum size
standards to combine the lots.
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