SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — A prominent land developer in the tri-county region faces a stop-work order for excavating dirt and filling wetlands without proper permits in Brunswick County. At the same time, New Hanover County has issued violations against him in recent months for at least five projects.
READ MORE: ‘Everyone passes the buck’: Residents in unincorporated Brunswick neighborhood spar with developers
In August, eight residents of the unincorporated Pinecliff Drive neighborhood told Port City Daily they had been negatively affected by Grayson Park development, a 311-unit residential complex incorporated in Leland.
Their concerns include:
- Getting blocked into their neighborhood after Tropical Storm Debby, due to a pipe washout at the entrance of the neighborhood
- Damaging Pinecliff’s dirt road with heavy construction vehicles
- Filling wetlands and subsequent flooding
- Inconveniencing Pinecliff residents by moving their mailboxes
Business partners Jack Carlisle and Steve Shuttleworth are developing land in Pinecliff to facilitate expansion of the adjacent Grayson Park neighborhood. Pinecliff residents, including Rick Dixon, alleged in August that Carlisle carried out development activities without obtaining proper permits.
“His illegal work beside my house has ruined my way of life to the point that I want to move,” Dixon said Wednesday.
Residents reached out to numerous local and state authorities, including Brunswick County and the Town of Leland, about their concerns. In August, Brunswick spokesperson Meagan Kascsak confirmed the county received at least one complaint alleging illegal development activity in Grayson Park causing stormwater runoff in Pinecliff. Dixon attributed wetland filling at a property near his residence as a reason for increased flooding.
Brunswick County floodplain administrator validated the complaint with a stop-work order on Oct. 22.
“The property owner began excavating and relocating dirt within a designated flood zone without obtaining the required permits,” Kascsak said. “County staff are actively assisting the owner in bringing the property into compliance.”
Port City Daily reached out to Carlisle and Shuttleworth — a former Carolina Beach councilmember — about the recent violation but did not receive a response by press. In August, they each maintained they’d obtained all proper permitting for the project.
Several Pinecliff residents sent Port City Daily photos of continued construction activity in their neighborhood at night, in the days following the stop-work order. The residents alleged it continued until Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office intervened to enforce the permit violation.
“I do not see any report that would indicate that is accurate,” Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Emily Flax said. “That is not to say we were not called out for service. But there is no record of a report being taken.”
Carlisle has been developing land in Brunswick and New Hanover counties since at least 2013. He has purchased over $10 million in land in Wilmington and developed it for projects including Tarin Woods, Sunset Reach, along the Northeast Cape Fear River, the Echo West neighborhood of Echo Farms, and Watermark at River Road.
In August, New Hanover County spokesperson Alex Riley told Port City Daily three of Carlisle’s properties were in violation for building without proper permits. Stop work orders were posted at each property, including:
- 8630 and 8640 River Road, Wilmington
- 2721 Bellwood Ave., Castle Hayne
- 121 Rockledge Road, Wilmington
PCD reached out to the county for the updates on the three violations but did not hear back by press.
Documents obtained by PCD show New Hanover County planning and engineering staff have issued several other violations against Carlisle in recent months. On Oct. 17, the county sent his firm Southern Destiny, LLC a Notice of Continuing Violation of Land Disturbing Activity at 535 The Cape Blvd.
The letter stated Southern Destiny carried out land disturbing activity without proper permitting in the area and would need to immediately cease work and submit a corrective plan with erosion control measures.
The Cape’s Homeowner Association sued property owner Southern Destiny in 2019 to challenge its right to redevelop land of the former Cape Golf Course to build 132 townhomes. The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled in Southern Destiny’s favor in 2022.
Soil erosion specialist Beth Wetherill noted the engineering violation for a portion of the golf course was separate from a zoning violation issued at a neighboring property owned by Carlisle adjacent to 8740 West Telfair Circle.
“These types of violations can be assessed civil penalties in the amount of $5,000 per day,” she wrote. “If the deadlines for corrective measures are not met, civil penalties may be assessed from the date of violation.”
Resident Jackie Simmons sent an Oct. 25 email to Wetherill containing photos of a demolition carried out by Carlisle’s company at 8904 West Telfair in The Cape, neighboring the property in violation.
“This is affecting my lungs,” resident Jackie Simmons wrote. “What can I do?”
The New Hanover County engineering department cited Carlisle for causing a drainage nuisance at 717 & 721 Cathay Road last month. Engineering specialist Beth Furr said Carlisle improperly installed an 18” storm drain pipe across the properties that needed removal.
“He has obstructed the natural flow of drainage across these parcels,” she wrote in an email to the department.
Tips or comments? Email journalist Peter Castagno at peter@localdailymedia.com.
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