After months of objections from residents, Brunswick County officials have overturned a county staff decision following disputes over drainage and flooding concerns.
The Brunswick County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 on Sept. 21 to reverse stormwater permits for the Pointe Grand Long Beach development, siding with neighboring Rivermist residents despite testimony from staff that the project complied with regulations and would reduce runoff into the subdivision.
Pointe Grand development was approved by county planning staff in May 2026. The developer, Florida-based Hillpointe, LLC, plans to build 362 total multifamily units, townhomes and apartments, on 43 acres along N.C. 133, Long Beach Road. As approved, the development abuts21 homes along Ballast
Road in the Rivermist at Dutchman Village in Southport.
After reviewing stormwater plans approved by county staff and County Manager Steve Stone, residents filed three appeals to the county. The applicants include Property Owners Association President Donna Jenny, resident Robert Gehrke and resident Marian Lampman. However, the appeals are backed by more than 20 residents in total.
The property owners' association appeal is rooted in substantial concerns about the approved stormwater management plan failing to adequately contain, control and manage stormwater generated by the new development. The appeals also state approved plans indicate that stormwater generated by the Pointe Grand development will flow toward adjacent residential properties -- not fully containing and managing stormwater runoff within the boundaries of the project.
Gehrke's appeal asks to review the approval and requests the county consider concerns of the community before allowing the development to proceed. However, the property owners' association requests the board reverse its approval of Pointe Grand until the applicant can clearly demonstrate through revised engineering analyses and independent review.
County Attorney Bryan Batton said stormwater permit appeals are rare, noting the case is the first the county had heard in at least 15 years.
Residents behind the third appeal, dubbed the "Ballast Road Appeal," were turned down by the Brunswick County Zoning Board of Adjustment in September. The residents have 30 days to file an appeal to the Brunswick County Superior Court.
County Stormwater Administrator Richard Christensen defended the permits during the September hearing, telling commissioners the plan complied with all ordinance requirements and that engineering calculations showed runoff flowing toward Rivermist decreasing by roughly 80% after development. Runoff flowing toward Rivermist would actually decrease because of the five proposed on-site detention ponds, Christensen explained.
Christensen told commissioners that post-development runoff rates could not exceed existing conditions under county rules and said calculations showed substantial reductions at the two drainage points leading toward Rivermist. The county manager even upheld staff's determination through the county's administrative appeals process.
Residents argued the issue went beyond runoff calculations.
Gehrke and Lampman's filed appeals claims the development used inaccurate or incomplete supporting documentation during the approval process. Lampman confirmed that no agreement exists between Rivermist and the developer Hillpointe, LLC, nor the property owner C.F. Smith Properties, Inc. Such an agreement is required by the development's Stormwater Master Plan approval from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
Gehrke during the meeting questioned why any stormwater from Pointe Grand should be permitted to enter the established neighborhood, noting the development relies on drainage infrastructure and maintenance responsibilities belonging to Rivermist property owners. He also raised concerns about the lack of easement and maintenance agreements between the developer and the homeowners association.
Two of the appeals state Rivermist experienced "severe flooding" during Hurricane Florence in 2018 and again during the Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight storm in September 2024. Residents worry the approved stormwater plans will only worsen safety and increase flooding.
Photographs of pipes, culverts and drainage structures that Rivermist residents say already require maintenance were also presented.
Filing an appeal ensures residents flooding concerns are preserved in public record, Jenny said. Jenny urged county leaders to consider actual conditions on the ground rather than relying solely on engineering calculations.
"Numbers and calculations are very important, but they do not always reflect the full impact of stormwater on the ground," Jenny said.
Several commissioners acknowledged staff's findings but questioned whether the plan was fair to Rivermist residents after hearing testimonies and seeing pictures. Commissioners also shared concerns about whether the ordinance works. However, Batton said the appeal centered on whether staff correctly applied the ordinance, not whether they agreed with the ordinance itself.
"Most of the issues, I believe, that were raised were issues with what the ordinance required, not that staff did not follow the unified development ordinance," said Batton, noting staff "appropriately" followed the ordinance.
Commissioner Pat Sykes made the motion to reverse the permits, stating she agreed with staff's analysis but remained troubled that neighboring homeowners could bear responsibility for infrastructure serving a separate development.
"I think Rivermist should have been considered in the determination of the stormwater runoff... If all those pipes are draining to Rivermist, then we have a problem, " Sykes said.
Commissioner Randy Thompson questioned whether the engineering study fully accounted for conditions shown in photographs presented during the hearing and said the information provided to staff may have been incomplete.
The board ultimately voted to reverse staff's decision, with Cooke, Sykes and Thompson in favor and Chairman Mike Forte and Commissioner Frank Williams opposed.
The developer could take the appeal to court if they want to move forward, Batton confirmed.
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Savanna Tenenoff covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at stenenoff@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Southport residents win rare appeal over flooding fears, drainage
