CAROLINA BEACH — Carolina Beach officials passed an upzoning proposal at last week’s town council meeting after staff received feedback from planning commissioners and council in late July about the new zoning district.
Ten parcels along Cape Fear Boulevard will be rezoned from mixed use to commercial transition — a new zone defined by staff — in a 4 -1 vote, with Mayor Pro Tem Deb LeCompte dissenting. The council met Aug. 11 and held a public hearing on the matter, with five people speaking, some against or at the very least preferring not to rush the matter.
Staff discussed the new district before the planning and zoning commission in June and July — the second meeting, a joint session with town council, hashed out finer details and what both boards would like to see change about the proposal. Ultimately, planning decided to recommend approval. A public hearing and council vote was next on the docket to finalize the rezoning.
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Commercial transition is meant to act as a physical barrier between Carolina Beach’s residential neighborhoods by Raleigh Avenue and the central business district, giving more by-right use and buildout allowances for developers and future business owners, while still putting up guardrails for the CBD.
The new district allows for a buildout of 29 units per acre, compared to 17 units per acre previously allowed. The new district also reduces setback requirements to 10 feet in the rear, 5 feet in the front and no minimum side setbacks, with a maximum building height of 50 feet. Like mixed-use, both residential and commercial uses are allowed, but bars, breweries and distilleries are not, as decided by both council and planning commissioners, in an effort to not bring more alcohol closer to the residential neighborhoods.
The rezoning would also bring eight of the properties from nonconforming to conforming, a goal outlined in the town’s 2020 Land Use Plan.
The alignment with the Land Use Plan was cited by council throughout the meeting because many planning commissioners and residents expressed concern over the proposal’s timeline. Residents like Stave Jaeb thought the long-term idea was sound, but believed council should spend more time discussing the change.
“I’m not opposed to it. It sounds great,” he said, “but it seems to be happening a little quickly. I know when I leave, you’re going to vote on it, but it’s a shame we couldn’t spend a little bit more time because it really is going to be a big change down there.”
LeCompte agreed with concerns about the timeline, saying she didn’t believe one public hearing was enough to make a decision. Councilmember Wayne Rouse pushed back.
“This was voted on in November of 2020 and prior to that — about this month — the land-use planning committee was voting on this and we had spent 18 months,” he said. “Now, maybe, I’m just too comfortable with it, but it’s been there for six years and has been worked on, starting seven-and-a-half years ago.”
Despite LeCompte wishing to take more time to speak on the issue, she didn’t gain support from others.
“I’m not sure that postponing this for another 30, 60 days is going to get us to a different point than we are right now,” her colleague, Vince Losito, said Tuesday.
Ultimately, the motion passed.
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