NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Despite bringing down density from its former requests, a familiar development along Carolina Beach Road was denied its rezoning request this week.
READ MORE: CB road townhomes, Sheetz mixed-use gain NHC planning board approval
New Hanover County commissioners unanimously declined the R-15 low density change to R-5 moderate density, thwarting a 36-unit townhome development from being built. They expressed concerns with the proposal’s higher density zoning request and the traffic causing safety concerns along busy Carolina Beach Road. One commissioner also posited “eroding trust” as developers have tried to rezone the property for various projects multiple times now.
It was the fourth time it appeared before officials.
Cindee Wolf of Design Solutions, on behalf of Giovanni Ippolito and Tanya Vlacancich, presented to commissioners a rezoning request for 4.6 acres to build the 36-unit Medici Townhomes near the Lords Creek neighborhood and Glenarthur Drive. It would have consisted of nine four-unit structures, to be located on vacant property at 6634 Carolina Beach Road.
“This board has been adamant that it not be rezoned on multiple occasions,” Commissioner Dane Scalise said.
Wolf responded: “With all due respect, commissioner, he’s adamant to develop this property. He owns it.”
The project first appeared before commissioners as a larger complex, Palm Grove Apartments, in May 2023. It failed to pass, 3-2, with Scalise and then-commissioner Jonathan Barfield the only two in favor. Scalise said a year later, when the project returned before commissioners during summer 2024, he regretted his vote.
At Tuesday’s commissioner meeting, he maintained some properties and parcels should remain as they are and said this R-15 plat fell on that line for him: “We don’t have to rezone every piece of property in this community and I don’t think we need to rezone this one.”
Scalise received applause from the audience, many in attendance to speak against the project. Also in agreement were some of his colleagues. Walker was one and questioned putting confidence in the developers.
“I feel like there is a trust factor here that’s created a little damage with the application withdrawn, denied, withdrawn — this is the fourth,” she said. “I think that’s the concern with people who live around there and deal with it day-to-day.”
Vice Chair LeAnn Pierce agreed that while the project reduced density overall, the rezoning would allow more than she was comfortable with.
“It may be developed into something,” Pierce told Wolf, “but I’m not inclined to increase density in New Hanover County.”
The property owners originally wanted to build a 78-unit, four-story apartment building, but then decreased it to 72 units and even further to 64 units before again revising it to its current 36-unit two-story townhomes. Currently, 11 townhomes are allowed to be built on the site by-right. The R-5 conditional request also meant the project would have met certain criteria, such as ensuring a maximum building height of 35 feet or agreeing to tree protection measures.
Wolf said the property owners changed the layout and included proposed conditions after assessing feedback from the community, particularly nearby neighbors that have been unwavering in their opposition through every iteration of the development. Almost a half-dozen spoke against it at this week’s commissioners’ meeting as well, one even noting a petition that garnered 500 signatures from those opposed.
Petitions often include multiple signatures from one household, Wolf responded, but also noted hundreds of residences have been constructed and approved in the area in the last 10 years. She maintained the project fit with the county’s comprehensive plan and brought a diversity of housing stock to the area, adding that zoning was determined in this part of the county in 1969 and since then needs have changed.
Last month, the county planning board recommended commissioners pass the development, aside from one person, Kevin Hine. He thought the project remained too close to Lords Creek homes.
Wolf explained to commissioners there would be a 20-foot buffer. It would include a tall privacy screening fence installed along the 15-foot buffer mark.
Resident Kyle Pressma didn’t think the buffer was suitable and wanted 30 to 50 feet to give way for stormwater absorption.
Penny Derrick complained a corner of her backyard, near the development, already would overflow after 15 minutes of rain.
A stormwater pond would be installed to help capture runoff, Wolf said, particularly near an area that already pools on the western portion of the property.
“There are no impact to wetlands,” she added, pointing to a small stream on the perimeter of the property. “It’s also well upstream of any 100-year floodplain limits.”
Wolf added the decades-old Lords Creek neighborhood currently doesn’t have stormwater management and new developments provide and improve upon it.
Perhaps most impressive to Commissioner Rob Zapple was that the plan garnered support from the Alliance for Cape Fear Trees. The property owners agreed to keep the buffer area of trees fenced off during construction, as well as a center courtyard that would maintain 20- to 40-foot tall trees.
Laura McCabe, board vice president of ACFT, spoke in favor, stating it supported natural open space, and the tree preservation area was a significant amenity she thought the county should take note of. The developers even agreed to bring in a certified tree arborist.
“We believe this commitment to tree-save preservation of natural areas and open space should be codified for all future residential developments,” McCabe said, adding the group would like to see pervious materials used for parking, rain gardens to manage stormwater runoff and native tree plantings be required. “This conceptual design for this neighborhood demonstrates that with intentional planning, New Hanover County can respond to our region’s housing needs while still protecting the ecological systems that make our county special and livable.”
Also speaking in favor was Natalie English, the CEO of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce. English has been showing up to recent planning board and city planning commission meetings to advocate for more housing and affordability.
“These infill properties are few and far to come by anymore in our county and we are desperate to increase the supply and that will affect the cost of housing in our region,” she said.
Though Wolf couldn’t provide a definitive answer to Commissioner Chair Bill Rivenbark when he asked how much the townhomes would be sold for, she surmised the going mid-rate currently in the $400,000s.
Another resident, Adrianne Garber, didn’t think Medici Townhomes kept in line with community needs or surrounding single-family home properties. She also took issue with infill developments, noting smaller lots may not receive as much pushback as bigger developments but it didn’t mean they shouldn’t.
“You keep adding up 5 acres here, 5 acres there, 6 acres here, 6 acres there, higher density, higher density … and it’s hurting us,” she said.
Garber also combatted the narrative that the developer’s request would fall in line with the county’s transitional zoning along major corridors, as Wolf had suggested earlier in the meeting.
“This lot is surrounded on all four sides by R-15, R-10 zoning,” Garber said. “There is nothing to transition to or from [R-5] on this property.”
She thought it would also impact evacuation needs along an already overcrowded Carolina Beach Road.
Traffic zooms by, Pressma explained, of the 55-miles-per-hour roadway. He pointed to a three-car wreck that happened directly across from the site on Labor Day. Bancroft Drive resident Penny Willmering agreed, saying traffic gets so congested motorists are often “up on our tails and can read the fine print on our license plates.”
Wolf agreed the speed limit should decrease on Carolina Beach Road, but iterated that’s a North Carolina Department of Transportation change she suggested commissioners lobby for. The representative of the applicant noted NCDOT required the plan include a deceleration lane to help mitigate traffic, but still commissioners weren’t sold.
When asked by Port City Daily what Ippolito and Vlacancich’s next steps would be, Wolf didn’t have a comment at this time.
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