BRUNSWICK COUNTY — An economic partnership organization struggled to sell a county-owned property for years amid regulatory uncertainty due to on-site wetlands. Commissioners approved the sale after recent state and federal changes narrowed wetland regulations.
READ MORE: NC wetland regulations remain in dispute a year after state stripped protections
Commissioners approved the sale of a roughly 22-acre property in Leland Innovation Park to construction material manufacturer US MgO last week. The county worked with Brunswick Business and Industry Development, a nonprofit focused on promoting the county’s economic development in Brunswick County, to sell the vacant site for years.
“The property was difficult to develop, which is why we have been marketing [the] property for many years without success,” Brunswick BID Chair and First Citizens Bank Senior Vice President Allen Bryant said in a press release last week. “Today represents the culmination of multiple efforts by many people, and we are so thankful that US MgO is able to utilize this property and create jobs and investment in our community.”
Brunswick BID received $575,000 from the county, its primary funder, in fiscal year 2023-2024. Chair Mike Forte, vice chair Marty Cooke, and county manager Steve Stone sit on its board as non-voting members; voting members include Bryant, Cape Fear Engineering President Perry Davis, Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center President Heather King-Semple, and Moffitt Builders President Randy Moffitt.
The county agreed to sell the site at $35,000 per acre. Brunswick BID Executive Director Bill Early told Port City Daily he did not know the final sale price of the land.
“There have been some challenges with this property,” Early said at last week’s commissioner meeting. “Brunswick BID has conducted two environmental assessments of the property for wetlands jurisdiction. Originally, there was a large section that was considered jurisdictional. With some of the changes in rules, it has now been declared isolated.”
Multiple tracts have “unique geographical challenges,” Bryant noted in last week’s press release. Early told PCD a contractor determined there were approximately 1.19 acres of jurisdictional wetlands on one of the tracts in 2019.
“This information was important in allowing us to market the property for prospective users,” he said. “I believe in 2023 the US Army Corps of Engineers guidelines changed that isolated wetlands did not require mitigation requiring the purchase of wetland bank credits. A second wetlands delineation was completed in 2024 and the US Army Corps of Engineers agreed that the identified wetlands were isolated and non-jurisdictional.”
Early said USACE completed its study but had not yet issued a final determination letter.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District Public Affairs Chief David Connoly told PCD he would check with regulatory staff on the status of its determination. PCD asked the county for the site’s environmental assessments but did not receive a response by press.
The definition of “Waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act has been at the heart of a national regulatory battle in recent years. Conservation groups, including the Southern Environmental Law Center, favor an expansive definition to protect environmentally sensitive areas that naturally mitigate flood risk.
Alternatively, a broad range of industry groups including the U.S. Home Builders Association, National Realtors Association, Farm Bureau, and Chamber of Commerce advocate a more narrow definition, arguing excessive regulations hurt business and constitute federal overreach.
The Supreme Court’s landmark 2023 ruling in Sackett v. EPA removed federal authority of wetlands without a “continuous surface connection” with other bodies of water — known as isolated or non-jurisdictional wetlands. The Department of Environmental Quality estimated 2.5 million acres could lose protection after the General Assembly-passed S.B. 582 in June 2023, which barred the state from regulating isolated wetlands that lost federal protection from the Supreme Court ruling.
US MgO is a member of the Carolinas chapter of Associated Contractors and Builders, a trade association that lobbied for a more narrow wetland definition. The group commended Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin’s announcement last month that his agency will review its guidance to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to ensure compliance with the post Sackett-ruling definition and reduce regulatory burdens.
Port City Daily reached out to US MgO founder Ryan Miller to ask about the project but he was unavailable for comment by press.
“After two years of research and development at our small facility in Leland, we’re thrilled to break ground on this major upgrade,” Miller said in last week’s release. “While MgO panels aren’t known to most folks, they are one of the construction industry’s most innovative building products. We’re excited to continue our growth in Brunswick County by building the nation’s first manufacturing facility for this product type.”
The company plans to build the 75,000 square foot facility on four parcels in Leland Innovation Park. It announced last week it would bring 35 jobs with an estimated average wage of $52 and $5 million in investment into Brunswick County. The company plans to use the site to manufacture high-quality magnesium oxide cement sheathing panels for construction markets.
Tips or comments? Email journalist Peter Castagno at peter@localdailymedia.com.
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