City Concerns Regarding the County’s Proposed Zoning in the Former City ETJ Zones
City Manager Stuart Turille, Jr. will be presenting the following letter of concern to the Brunswick County Planning Board on August 12, 2024, at 6:00 pm at the Brunswick County Planning Board Regular Meeting:
City Concerns:
- Quality of life for existing former ETJ residents and property owners:
This is both physically and financially. Will incompatible uses be permitted next to established neighborhoods? Will property values be diminished with the introduction of high-density/intensity uses? Providing transitional zones will help alleviate these concerns.
- Preservation of the character of historic downtown Southport:
- Southport is South Brunswick County’s downtown. Southport’s charm attracts visitors from neighboring towns throughout the year. Allowing intense nonresidential and residential development just outside of the corporate limits and within the pockets of town that are not annexed has the potential to deteriorate the character of the city. Will small businesses thrive if chain and national-level businesses inundate the market?
- Zoning of a higher intensity than our current zoning, adjacent to the city will add additional traffic trips and congestion in a downtown corridor reaching its limit, deteriorating visitors and locals experience as they fight traffic to access the downtown and compete for limited parking, spilling into residential areas, harming the charm and quality of life in the downtown and neighborhoods.
- Increased evacuation Times:
As residential density is doubled and tripled in some cases within the former ETJ, during times of disaster, the ability to get residents to safety has the potential to become compromised. This is especially critical in Southport due to the vicinity of Duke Energy Nuclear Power Plant.
- Creation of a gateway to Southport along North Howe Street:
The unfortunate jigsaw pattern of city and county property along North Howe Street is worrisome to most. This gateway goes hand in hand with preserving the small-town charm of Southport. Consideration and coordination with city staff to create a corridor overlay is imperative.
Considerations with Benefits for All
The loss of zoning jurisdiction within the former ETJ, particularly in the corridor entrance to the city, is a matter of significant concern. County zoning districts do not fit neatly within the City’s zoning districts. Differences need to be considered and analyzed for a smooth transition from the City’s traditional neighborhood zoning characteristics to the County’s more dense, less traditional zoning characteristics. The City wants to ensure compatibility with adjacent city and county properties.
In the absence of county zoning districts that mirror the city zoning districts, we implore you to consider the existing uses in the former ETJ and the possibility of creating an overlay district along the North Howe Street corridor. This overlay can protect the entrance into the City of Southport by lowering maximum height limits, requiring buildings of similar proportion, and including landscaping and design elements like existing neighborhood characteristics.
Another option is the creation of new zoning districts limiting uses and/or density with the update of the County’s unified development ordinance.
