BRUNSWICK COUNTY — Brunswick County commissioners will have final say over development decisions after the North Carolina General Assembly unanimously approved a bill stripping the authority from the county planning board. Supporters believe it will increase accountability for elected officials as one of North Carolina’s fastest-growing counties grapples with mounting infrastructure demands.
On July 3, House Bill 1222, “An Act to Require All Development Approvals in Brunswick County,” was ratified in a unanimous 114-member vote, with only a handful of excused absences and a nonvoting member in the legislature. The law grants Brunswick County commissioners authority over development approvals and denials, with the planning board only recommending how commissioners should handle applications for zonings, site plans, text amendments and other areas that dictate the county’s growth.
Brunswick County is one of the few counties in North Carolina that has allowed its planning board ultimate authority over development requests. However, members of the public have pushed back against the board in the last few years as Brunswick County has doubled in size from 2004’s population of 84,000 to 174,702 in 2026. Many have requested commissioners be held to account on how the county develops and grows.
READ MORE: State bills propose shake-up in Brunswick development process, some commissioners agree
Brunswick County is roughly 850 square miles, with 19 municipalities, many of which have their own planning boards. Only the City of Northwest contracts county planning to oversee its jurisdiction. Port City Daily asked the county how many square miles remain undeveloped but did not receive an answer.
The bill mandates commissioners have the last word on zoning ordinance, text amendments, zoning map amendments, preliminary subdivision plats, variances subject to approval by the board, and special use permits (once heard by the county board of adjustment), with the record reflecting each vote of the commission.
Two Brunswick County commissioners have vocally favored the bill. Both Pat Sykes and Randy Thompson approve of elected leaders enforcing oversight as representatives of the public. Sykes also believes it gives them a better understanding of how many developments are coming in overall.
“It’s important that commissioners know how much growing we are doing,” Sykes said. “If the planning board is overseeing everything, we’re not realizing what’s going on and we need to be more involved.”
There are more than 43,000 units in the pipeline countywide, some dating back to 2017, according to the county’s GIS development tracker.
Sykes said it’s never been more important to stay on top of growth as the county continues to deal with infrastructure needs. This includes water capacity issues — Brunswick County is at a stage three conservation alert currently, meaning it’s been at 90% water capacity currently for more than five days. Also, wastewater permits have been frozen due to a 2023 state law (Senate Bill 673) that requires the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to calculate future wastewater allocations for unbuilt homes as if they were already in the pipes, pushing the county’s treatment plants over capacity limits.
Residents often complain at planning board meetings of roadways, particularly in rural areas, not built to sustain growing traffic and schools tipping up in population and nearing capacity.
“The infrastructure needs to catch up,” Sykes said.
Chair Mike Forte told Port City Daily he had no comment on the bill’s passage, while commissioners Marty Cooke and Frank Williams didn’t respond to a request for feedback.
Thompson called the bill a good first step. He said he’s been in contact with Sen. Bill Rabon (R-Brunswick) and Rep. Charlie Miller (R-Brunswick), the latter of whom sponsored H.B. 1222 and Rabon sponsored co-legislation, Senate Bill 1079; both conjoined before passing. But Thompson said he has addressed other development issues at the legislative level, to give more authority to county jurisdictions when it comes to development.
Specifically, he pointed to the downzoning provision from Senate Bill 382, which passed a year and a half ago, disallowing local governments to reduce density on a property without owner consent. This creates issues with the county’s modernization of its unified development ordinance, such as including a flood prevention amendment to reduce housing density in some flood zones.
“Developers and their lobbyists are very, very strong,” Thompson said, adding every time the county approaches changes to its UDO, they react.
Thompson also would like to see increased buffer zones and discontinuing wetlands to count toward open space. Plus, there is the most consistently discussed item at planning board meetings: the traffic impact analysis.
H.B. 1222 does address TIAs, noting they should be submitted more often than only if residential or commercial projects generate at least 100 vehicle trips at peak hours or 1,000 vehicle trips per day, as currently mandated. The bill added for a TIA to be done in Brunswick County if a preliminary subdivision divide a tract into 25 or more lots, a special use permit, planned development, and major site plans. The TIA is required to be presented by Brunswick County staff.
Thompson called its inclusion a “good start.”
“My thinking is that one should be included for every development,” he said.
Deputy Planning Director Marc Pages announced at the planning board meeting on Monday, July 13, that the NCDOT probably would not review the TIAs for major subdivisions that are 25 lots or less.
“So we are still figuring out what we are going to do with TIAs less than 100 trips a day — who’s going to review them and all that fun stuff,” Pages said.
He added some special use permits, like daycares, cell phone towers or dog kennels, also don’t generate a lot of traffic but now require a TIA: “It’s certainly going to impact the little guy.”
“Should we make a recommendation to commissioners to change that portion of it?” Planning Board Chair Clif Cheek suggested, referring to the modernization of the county’s UDO, now dubbed the Land Development Ordinance.
Staff has been working on revisions for a few years now, with the intention to complete it last summer. However, they first experienced delays from the passage of S.B. 382 and now H.B. 1222. Pages told the planning board they have worked through sections 1 through 7 to date, with hopes for it to come to the board by fall.
“Our poor consultant is certainly working hard to keep ahead of the legislative changes,” Pages said.
In reference to Cheek’s suggestion to contact commissioners, Assistant County Attorney Ryan King conferred the TIA section of H.B. 1222 “is poorly drafted” and was added at the last minute. While commissioners likely are aware of its consequences, he was unsure how strong their appetite is to make changes to the land development ordinance or special use permit allowances in any fundamental way.
“But if you guys want to send a letter to them, you can vote and discuss on it,” he told the planning board.
It’s unclear when exactly commissioners will begin hearing development applications, though county spokesperson Meagan Kascsak anticipates rezonings could begin appearing on commissioner agendas as early as fall. Pages floated September or October to the planning board.
The law indicates the commissioners must hear all cases submitted after July 2, 2026, which means the planning board will continue to make decisions on all applications submitted to the county prior to July 2.
Sykes said she wished the law was backdated, so commissioners could take over more immediately.
Port City Daily asked the county how many applications the planning board still has decision-making power over, but did not receive a clearcut number. Instead, Kascsak said the current planning board will be hearing them for at least the next several meetings.
Thompson would like to see the county implement a process that staggers applications so elected leaders aren’t sitting through hours upon hours of eight or so developments and rezonings each meeting — especially since the commissioners also have to take up other items affecting the county.
“I want to make sure that we have something in place that reduces the amount of time spent on each case, meaning you can only put so many on an agenda at one time,” he explained.
Sykes said she accepts meetings will be longer now.
“It’s part of the job,” she said. “When you commit to run, you’re committing to give up your time to serve the people.”
As the county continues working through the law’s changes, Port City Daily asked how much it may cost Brunswick to implement. Kascsak said the price is unknown currently.
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