Mainland residents are pushing back on a proposed rezoning that would serve New Hanover County’s most exclusive island.
At a Planning Board meeting on Oct. 1, seven Porters Neck residents spoke in opposition of the rezoning of 2.21 acres at 1275 Edgewater Club Road proposed by the Figure Eight Island Homeowners’ Association. The rezoning would allow for conditional business development to build a maintenance office and staging area for support services for the HOA.
While it is common for HOAs to have maintenance office buildings in residential districts, a rezoning is requested because the proposed facility is outside of the community it would serve. The current facility is in a special flood hazard area.
The overall traffic in the area is not
expected to increase under the new district, as the building would only be utilized by HOA employees. HOA manager David Kellam said that the association only has four employees.
County staff recommended approval of the request, dependent upon conditions regarding signs, tree retention, landscaping and building setbacks. An additional condition states that property use is limited to offices for private businesses and professional activities.
After much discussion, the board recommended approval of the rezoning. It will head to the Board of Commissioners for final review on Nov. 16.
Neighbors push back
Seven neighbors spoke in opposition of the proposal. Critics cited traffic concerns, impacts on property values and the environment.
“They’re wanting to put a machine shop in my backyard,” resident David Huber said. “They’re going to run compressors, they’ve got to place tires, they’re going to use impact tools – there’s going to be a bang, bang, bang across the pond from me. It’s not the area for this.”
Kellam said that most of the maintenance work takes place on the island. Applicant representative Cindee Wolf emphasized that the facility, including boat storage garages, would be used only by HOA staff, not the public or residents of Figure Eight.
Three residents spoke in favor of the project, noting that the proposed rezoning would be preferable to what could be built by-right.
“After seeing the proposed plans, I realized that the other option was surely going to be six to possibly 10 residential homes instead of what Figure Eight is proposing,” neighboring resident Phillip Rice said. “I also took a look at the amount of green space that they are keeping and saving that surely would not have been saved if a residential [developer] purchased this property.”
Board recommends approval
Planning Board Chair Clark Hipp said that the application was “unique,” but Figure Eight Island’s current maintenance situation was untenable. Hipp noted that that the applicant had taken steps to mitigate impacts to surrounding neighbors.
Board member Jim Spicuzza said that he understood concerns over noise, prompting Kellam to make a verbal commitment to open a line of communication with surrounding neighbors in the event of complaints.
“I think you’ve got a positive neighbor that you can work with, and I think he would be more invested in your community than ever before having an office on that side,” Spicuzza said.
Hipp motioned to recommend approval of the rezoning. The motion passed unanimously.
Daniel Sheehan covers New Hanover County for the StarNews. Reach him at dsheehan@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Figure Eight Island rezoning moves forward despite opposition
