Holden Beach To Look At Adjusting Setbacks Wilh dozens of occanfroni lots left unbuildablc following Hurri cane Hugo, Holden Beach officials arc considering amending or waiv ing street sctbaek rules to free up more valuable land for development During a spccial meeting Monday, commissioners referred the matter to the town planning and zoning board. They requested a recom mendation as soon as possible. A public hearing will be required before the setbacks can be changed. Holden Beach currently requires that oceanfront homes be built at least 25 feet from the strecL However, that setback coupled with the state-mandated 60-foot setback from the dune vegetation line and ero sion resulting from Hugo has left a number of lots unbuildablc because there is nnl r.nongh room for a scp'Jc tank. Ricky Parker, chairman of the Brunswick County Board of Health, said during last Thursday's town meeting that 60 percent of the vacant oceanfront lots between the east end of the island and Captain's Villas condominiums near the west end arc too small for septic tanks. Based on that estimate. Mayor John Tandy said about 70 vacant lots on the oceanfront arc affected. He figured that land is worth about SI million. Parker said last week the N.C. Division of Coastal Management is trying to limit oceanfront development, triggering a number of com ments supporting and criticizing die state's coastal development rules. Mayor Tandy said state regulations don't always fit each situation and that some things need to be done differently following a hurricane. Commissioner William Williamson suggested that the town "sus pend CAMA for six months." He later added that the new dune line staked by state officials is not reasonable. He said the dune should be built back the way it was before the hurricane and that the dune line was staked too far landward. Building Inspector Dwight Carroll pointed out that no structures built within the past eight years were damaged in the hurricane, indicat ing that the regulations have helped in that respect. Sid S warts, a member of the town's planning board, spoke in favor of cua>iai management regulations. "If ii wasn't for CAMA keeping people back, there wouldn't be dunes out there," he said. "If it wasn't for CAMA, we'd be in miserable shape right now." County And Towns Seek Federal D'SOS^er Airl ? ? u ? ? mmm~- m w "W ? m m ? -y/i Brunswick County and seven area towns are among local govern ments hoping federal aid will cover some of the costs associated with Hurricane Hugo. Following a public assistance briefing Saturday in Bolivia, repre sentatives of nine governments or agencies indicated an interest in ap plying for federal disaster funds. In addition to the county, offi cials from Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Holden Beach, Long Beach, Yaupon Beach, Bald Head Island and Southport turned in notices of interest at the meeting. Filing the notice is the first step in the federal public assistance process. Besides counties and towns, pri vate non-profit groups such as utili ties and rescue squads are eligible for federal assistance. Brunswick Electric Membership Corp. also filed a notice of interest at last week's meeting. On the notices, officials checked boxes indicating the type of damage to property and facilities. Later, fed eral and state inspectors will con duct a formal survey. Under the public assistance pro gram, the federal government reim burses counties, towns and other groups for some of the money spent Holden Beach POA Cancels Meeting A meeting of Holden Beach Commissioners, real estate repre sentatives and county health offi cials relating to the problem of overcrowded rental units on the is land has been canceled. Originally set for Oct. 4 and later postponed until Oct. 18, the Holden Beach Property Owners Association (HBPOA) has now put off the meeting indefinitely. In a letter from HBPOA President Kcnncr Amos, he says the association directors will con sider the problem ?rt of o tnum board meeting Monday, officials agreed that some homeowners will argue that the town pushed sand in front of some lots and neglected others. Though sand will be pushed next to private property, town offi cials say the project will benefit the whole island by protecting Ocean Boulevard "We've all got to pull together on this thing to get the beach ready by next summer," said Mayor John Tandy. Meanwhile, the town is taking advantage of an offer from Bruns wick County for the temporary use of a bulldozer and county employ ee. Holden Beach plans to put the county bulldozer to work pushing sand at the public beach access ways. The town manager also said he plans to apply for a state grant that could be used to repair public ac cess ways damaged in the storm. Ocean Isle Beach plans to apply for the same funds. While plugging holes in the fron tal dune may work for the lime be ing, Holden Beach Commissioners agree that a dune rebuilding project is what's needed. "But we don't have the money right now to do anything else," Commissioner Will iam Williamson said last week. Town board members hone to find out the cost of an engineering study that would provide specifica tions and an estimated cost for a frontal dune before deciding on a long-term solution. Commissioners planned to discuss dune rebuilding with a representative of the Army Corps of Engineers Friday at 10 The town manager has estimated it would cost about $1 million to build a dune the entire length of the island. That eight-mile-long dune would have a 50-foot- wide base and stand about 10 feet tall. Funding proposals mentioned to date include emergency borrowing with the governor's approval, bar rowing money following voter ap proval and assessments. Under state law, Ulrich said lot owners can be assessed the full cost of the project based on the benefit to each lot. But even with assess ments, the town still needs money for the project upfront. The town has $60,000 in its dune replacement fund. Other potential wmm. 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