NEW HANOVER COUNTY — A special-use permit has been submitted to turn a vacant tract in Scotts Hill into an RV park; the application will get voted on by commissioners on Tuesday.
Property owners Burke and Dorothy Freedland, with HBD Partners and Market Street Partners respectively, have their sights set on 27.32 acres near the intersection of Market Street and Stephens Church Road. The proposal is for 89 RV pads, 2,000 square feet each, along with an office building, amenity building, pool and parking.
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The property is currently zoned R-15 for very low to low density residential development, which would allow the property owners to construct 108 single-family homes. RV parks are allowed in the district with special-use permits, decided via quasi-judicial hearings. The developers must meet the following four requirements to be granted a permit:
- The use must not materially danger the public health or safety where proposed and developed according to the plan as submitted and approved
- The use meets all required conditions and specifications in the Unified Development Ordinance
- The use will not substantially injure the value adjoining or abutting property or that the use is a public necessity
- The location and character of the use if developed according to the plan as submitted and approved will be in harmony with the area in which it is to be located and in general conformity with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan
The application states “the proposed use will be a high quality, well-maintained and managed RV park.” The staff summary notes the park proposal is an “appropriate transition” from the busy Market Street to low-density housing to the west of the development.
However, the abutting property is wooded land, one parcel also zoned R-15 but underdeveloped. To the east, there are Stephens Pointe Apartments. According to the application, developers will retain a 50-foot tree buffer separating the park from all surrounding properties.
The adjacent property is not likely to be developed due to the wetlands permeating the area; the RV site has 5.64 acres and developers have noted 0.11 acres of them will be disturbed by the park.
There is also around 2.5 acres of savannah conservation estimated on the site, referring to the wet pine savannas and longleaf pine ecosystems that frequent the Cape Fear. However, the site must contain 5 acres or more to trigger additional ordinance requirements, including clearing restrictions, drainage alterations and setbacks.
The acreage is otherwise not located within a special flood hazard area or non-regulated advisory flood hazard area.
The site plan shows both the road and RV spaces are arranged to avoid the wetlands; the site will be accessible via an entrance and exit off Stephens Church Road, which is an arterial road with little traffic, per the staff summary. The road does deposit onto Market Street, currently operating over capacity according to data from the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Most drivers to the park will come from the north, with cars being diverted to Stephens Church Road; visitors exiting will be able to turn left or right at the signal light onto Market Street.
An official traffic impact analysis is not required because anticipated trips do not meet the 100-trip threshold. However, staff summary indicates an estimated 19 to 24 peak hour trips to accompany the RV park — less than what would be expected from a build-out of single-family homes.
Unlike rezonings, staff are not able to recommend approval or denial of the special-use permit application, though the staff summary provides consistencies with the 2016 Comprehensive Land Use Plan. The plan designates the proposed site under the “community mixed-use” placetype, which promotes “small-scale, compact, mixed-use development patterns that serve all modes of travel and act as an attractor for county residents and visitors.” The plan lists recreational uses as appropriate.
No evidence has been submitted to staff suggesting neighboring properties will be harmed by the park and no public comments have been received. Tuesday’s hearing will include a testimony portion, but only those with “standing” — or those who would be directly and specially impacted by the development — will be allowed to speak.
The hearing will take place during the commissioners’ Tuesday meeting beginning at 4 p.m.
Reach journalist Brenna Flanagan at brenna@localdailymedia.com.
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