BRUNSWICK COUNTY — Agricultural and environmental degradation and the neglect of county infrastructure needs were a few reasons multiple residents spoke out against bringing in new developments to the state’s fastest-growing county.
Undeterred by multiple residents’ concerns, the Brunswick County Planning Board unanimously recommended approval of two rezoning requests and the expansion of a new development last week.
“Fragmentation of our farming communities, which are the cultural foundation of Brunswick County, can only lead to a forced reduction of the agricultural industry that built this county,” resident Brandon Simmons said during a public hearing at the board meeting last Monday. “And that can continue to build this county if the planning and zoning board choose to allow agriculture to survive.”
Simmons, a resident who lives in Brunswick’s unincorporated Longwood community, urged against a rezoning request for a parcel of approximately 87.49 acres located off Ash-Little River Rd. from rural residential to medium density residential.
The rezoning request, Z-874, does not have an attached site plan yet, but it is less than a mile away from the site of the Supsura Tract development, which has the same applicant.
Simmons said the parcel is within a half-mile buffer of voluntary agricultural district properties; he argued impeding it would hurt nearby farms by eroding safeguard soil and allowing contaminants from adjacent properties. He cited the Blueprint Brunswick 2040 comprehensive land use plan, which states “agriculture is more viable in areas where there is a sufficient amount of land area uninterrupted by other development.”
He also noted the rezoning report found portions of the site potentially have wetlands and sensitive plant and animal habitats.
Phil Norris, representative of applicant Norris and Tunstall Consulting Engineers, responded that no site plan has been proposed yet for the parcel. Norris also stated the parcel was on forestry rather than farmland. He said the traffic impact and environmental studies would need to be carried out before any development on the parcel, especially because it likely contains wetlands.
“I’m not aware of a delineation on these properties,” Norris said. “But based on the map that was shown, there’s probably pretty good potential there are some.”
Notably, the recent Supreme Court ruling in Sackett v. EPA and a provision in the June N.C. Farm Bill removed “isolated wetlands” from federal and state jurisdiction. Norris and Tunstall would only need a permit to fill or build on wetlands with a “continuous surface connection” with another body of water.
The board also unanimously recommended rezoning approximately 4.12 acres located off Southport-Supply Road from a blend of commercial low density and medium density residential to solely commercial low density. Applicant Daniel Durler wants to use the rezoning, Z-875, to bolster economic activity in the transition area near major roadways and residential areas.
“We believe that rezoning this would meet the characteristics of the community,” Durler said. “We could open up some more opportunities for some more business and commerce in the area.”
The board’s third recommendation was expanding the Supsura Tract — a planned development originally approved in 2021 and modified in August 2022 for 146 single family lots on approximately 35.21 acres. A project also led by Norris and Tunstall Consulting Engineers, it now includes 62 more lots on an additional 12.79 acres.
The Supsura Tract is located on 1631 Ash-Little River Rd, less than a mile away from Z-874, which is on 1429 Ash Little River Rd.
The development will include a stormwater system designed to accommodate a 100-year storm event, which Norris noted exceeds the county’s 25-year storm event requirement. Norris said development would not impact wetlands on the site, but a pond will be modified to accommodate additional runoff.
Water, sewer, and erosion control permits, as well as those from the North Carolina Department of Transportation, will need to be amended to include the additional 12.79 acres on the property. Water and septic infrastructure will be provided by Brunswick County.
During the meeting’s public hearing, several residents criticized what they perceived as the planning board’s prioritization of new development over the needs of Brunswick County citizens.
Resident Carl Parker argued the planning board should focus on extending water and sewage infrastructure to the entire county before further construction.
“I believe we ought to get our undeveloped areas developed, and slow down some of the new development that’s coming in,” Parker said.
He also believed impurities in the county’s water supply are causing health problems.
Notably, a 2020 study carried out by Clean Cape Fear and the Environmental Working Group found Brunswick County to have the highest PFAS rate out of 44 metropolitan areas tested.
Resident Betty Hewitt said she was disappointed in the planning board and commissioners for neglecting citizens’ infrastructure needs.
“I have a well and a septic system,” Hewitt said. “And it really does irritate me. I can tell you when I hear that you’re going to approve and allow a community to be built that’s going to have water and sewer, and I have to worry about what kind of water I’m drinking.”
Resident Lisa Smith Trejo similarly noted that Brunswick County has issued multiple notices for water safety in recent years. She believes ongoing development of wetlands, which naturally filter water, will worsen the issue.
She argued the board should prioritize helping struggling citizens in the county.
“You need to concentrate on the infrastructure and help the people that’s already here. And quit worrying about making a dollar,” Trejo said. “We also have people that are homeless. We have vets that are homeless. Instead of bringing in new people, why don’t we help them?”
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