NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Two years after approving apartments for an area on Carolina Beach Road, New Hanover County Planning Board members heard from a developer last week who is cutting density in the development by a third.
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On Thursday, June 5, the board agreed to 85 townhomes coming to the opposite end of the county at 6900 and 6904 Carolina Beach Road. River Road Construction LLC requested to modify the already approved rezoning on 13.94 acres to build McQuillan Pines.
Represented by Corrie Faith Lee of Equitas Law Partners LLP, the developer plans to bring residences and a mini-storage facility to the site. The land was previously approved for 126 rental apartments and a 36,000 square-foot, two-story storage facility in 2023.
“After considering the need for affordable housing and for-sale home types, it made more sense for this project,” attorney Lee said on behalf of River Road Construction, noting the change also was in the public’s interest. “In New Hanover County when it comes to housing, it is not just the availability but the accessibility — which was one of the driving factors for having row-style townhouses.”
The new plan will include 13 three-story buildings housing two- and three-bedroom units, replacing the previously proposed seven three-story apartment buildings. A pool and clubhouse remain.
Lee said she hoped the townhomes would be affordable; however, price points weren’t divulged at the meeting, which had two board members recuse themselves. Chair Colin Tarrant’s employer, Block, Crouch, Keeter, Behm & Sayed law firm, had a connection to the client, while board member Hansen Matthews owns property contiguous to the development site. Vice Chair Cameron Moore led the meeting.
Half the land, 6.41 acres, will consist of open space. Because it’s a mix of zoning for commercial and residential, the mini storage will be built closest to Carolina Beach Road and will join roughly a dozen or so storage facilities between the corridor’s 3900 and 7700 blocks.
The project is flanked by R-15 zoning developments, including along Southern Charm Drive, and B-1 commercial properties.
“This gives residents another housing option, increasing the diversity of housing types in the area,” Development Review Planner Ryan Beil told the planning board.
Staff recommended approval with conditions, including:
- RV and boat storage will be on the interior of the mini storage and not visible to the public roadway
- Access from Southern Charm Drive to Carolina Beach Road will be public, with the easements not gated
- Single-family homes will be row-style, limited to three stories, and the mini storage will be limited to three stories or 50 feet
- Buffer between new residences and adjacent properties will be at least 6 feet
- Mini-storage will be limited to 12,000 max building footprint, but 36,000 gross square footage
- 20-foot wide public access easement front Carolina Beach Road and to accommodate bike and pedestrian use
The developer also hosted a second community meeting once altering the project plan “to be a good neighbor,” he said. Feedback there indicated a positive response.
However, one person, Charles Ferguson, spoke in opposition to the planning board last week. The development will have access to both Southern Charm Drive and Carolina Beach Road. Ferguson’s retirement home is nearby on Southern Exposure, which connects to Southern Charm.
His main concern came with the Southern Charm entrance into the planned McQuillan Pines, noting kids often play in the street in his Cape Cod neighborhood. Ferguson surmised increased traffic is inevitable with more housing coming in, which he feared would put the children’s safety at risk.
“It’s going to open up my street, Southern Exposure, to through traffic,” Ferguson said, noting he expected drivers to access a turnaround in front of his neighborhood rather than use the U-turn “a quarter-mile down the road.”
Ferguson called planning ahead of the meeting, he indicated, and mentioned one positive fix: Install a gate at Southern Charm, to be used for emergency purposes only.
Attorney Lee highlighted to the board that the project’s decreased density also means reduced traffic numbers. The development’s truncated density means peak hour trips will decrease slightly from 68 in the morning and 81 in the evening to 45 and 53 respectively.
“In the total trips for this project, it’s a net negative,” she said.
A traffic impact analysis wasn’t needed, as TIAs are required when developments are expected to bring 100 trips or more to the area. But according to the developer’s plan, the traffic volume in the area has a capacity of 41,368 on Carolina Beach Road. A point-in-time count last September indicated around 36,555 vehicles traversed the corridor.
Lee did ask to strike the condition that Southern Charm Drive and Carolina Beach Road access easements not be gated. Instead, the developer agreed for it to come with the “option to be gated,” though not mandated.
While Ferguson clarified he wasn’t opposed to the development, he added it’s human nature for motorists to take cut-throughs when they can and asked the board to consider putting a gate there.
“It’s still 300-plus people in the neighborhood plus the mini storage,” he said, “pulling boats, pulling trailers, pulling this, that and the other.”
Vice Chair Moore asked for clarity on local ordinances when it comes to access requirements, emergency or otherwise. Development Review Supervisor Robert Farrell indicated the fire code changed last year and a secondary access is only mandated upon 100 units being built.
After assessing the traffic patterns in the area, board member Pete Avery said he didn’t see any real advantage for a driver to take a shortcut down Southern Charm Road, as Ferguson had indicated. Beil informed the board by his rough estimation, a car would travel around 750 feet on Southern Charm to turn around and 1,000 feet to do so on Carolina Beach Road.
“I’d like to point out,” board member Kaitlyn Rhonehouse chimed in, “this is a density reduction. They can keep it as is and it is going to be worse than what you think, Mr. Ferguson.”
The board agreed to strike the “not gated” condition and allowed the developer the option to put one in, though it wasn’t required.
The board passed the development changes unanimously and it goes before commissioners for approval on July 21.
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