BRUNSWICK COUNTY — The Brunswick County Planning Board will hear multiple rezonings and one planned development at its July meeting.
The board meets the second Monday of every month and makes the final determination on rezonings and developments unless they are appealed to county commissioners or Superior Court.
Two of the rezonings to be taken up on Monday, July 13, are required due to Senate Bill 214 allowing properties in Southport and Sunset Beach’s Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction to become county-zoned. These property owners only pay county taxes.
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Since the bill’s passage in May 2026, the county has 60 days to zone all of the newly acquired parcels. Properties being rezoned to the county include: 1105 Seaside Rd SW in Sunset Beach, and 1222, 1408 N. Howe Street and 1221 N. Atlantic Avenue in Southport. Considerations will be for them to become either Commercial Low Density or Commercial Low Density Conditional District.
Also on the agenda is the planned development for Southport Meadows, located at Long Beach Road and River Road. Already under construction for the first phases, the project is returning to add almost 300 homes to be part of phase four.
Here are the details and background:
Development name: Southport Meadows
Developers: Timmons Group, behind multi-family and residential housing, affordable housing and senior living centers in the state
Background: The development was originally approved in 2022 for 127 single-family lots and 118 townhomes to be built on 160.39 acres located along N.C. 133 and N.C. 87. It’s returning to build 291 more units on the property on more than 70 acres. At full buildout, there will be 536 homes on 232.67 acres.
Units added: 141 single family homes and 150 townhomes
Acreage added: 72.28 acres for additional phase four
Density breakdown: 4.02 dwelling units per acre for the total 291 homes to be added on 72 acres; 2.30 dwelling units per acre for the total 536 homes on 232.67 acres
Zoning: The current zoning is Commercial Low Density and Commercial Low Density Maximum, allowing 13.6 dwelling units per acre, so the request for planned development zoning comes in under the density of the current allowance. The property is surrounded by CLD and R-7500, or medium density residential.
Traffic Impact: The project is supposed to generate approximately 2,342 vehicle trips per 24-hour weekday volume. A traffic impact analysis has been completed and approved by NCDOT.
Road improvements required: Extend three lanes southward at NC 87 (River Road) intersection and lengthen turning lanes at varied areas of NC 87 and NC 133; construct two site accesses from NC 87
Parking: Off street with a minimum of two driveway parking spaces per lot.
Buffers: Street buffer of 40 feet along River Road; 30-foot, 0.6 opacity peripheral buffer using existing vegetation
Open space: 23.26 acres proposed, with 18.07 acres required; 2.75 acres of recreation space but only 2.71 acres are required
Wetlands/floodplain: No portions of the project are located in a Flood Hazard Zone
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