BRUNSWICK COUNTY — A House and Senate bill that tackles development authority in Brunswick County passed the first step toward passage in Raleigh on Tuesday.
Companion legislation Senate Bill 1079 and House Bill 1222 was voted in favor unanimously in the North Carolina House. Earlier this month, Senator Bill Rabon and Representative Charlie Miller proposed the bills, which mirror the same language:
“The Brunswick County Board of Commissioners shall make the final decision on all development approvals in Brunswick County. The official record of all meetings where a development approval is decided shall reflect how each member voted on each development approval before the Board.”
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Currently, the planning board has official approval over developments unless a decision is appealed, which then goes to commissioners.
Rep. Miller wrote on social media the vote was 113-0. Before the role-call, he told his colleagues in the chamber: “I have a strong contingency in Brunswick County that feels like the final decision should lay with our elected officials.”
At least two current Brunswick County commissioners agree, including Pat Sykes and Randy Thompson. Both told Port City Daily last week they strongly believe the move would offer accountability and keep commissioners more informed on the direction of expansive growth in the fastest growing county in North Carolina. In the last six years, Brunswick’s population has escalated by 24% or more and since 2017 more than 43,000 units have been placed in the development pipeline.
“We are elected by the people to oversee the county’s future,” Sykes added about the importance of the board of commissioners handling the decisions.
Miller wrote on social media Wednesday: “As the demand for growth continues to impact Brunswick County, residents deserve transparency, accountability, and a direct voice through the officials they elect. This legislation helps ensure development decisions are made by those accountable to the people.”
The bills come as Brunswick County is also being sued — for the second time in eight months — by a developer over the planning board’s denial of a 1,340-home neighborhood in Winnabow. The developer claims the board did not follow its own UDO and called the rejection “unconstitutional,” while asking the courts to overturn the decision.
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