The Pender County Board of Commissioners voted Oct. 20 to approve a conditional‑zoning amendment that expands an existing Lewis Road marina and increases dry‑stack boat storage, after opponents and supporters gave competing accounts of traffic, parking and environmental risk.

The applicant sought to extend a previously approved General Business Conditional District to adjacent parcels and to expand dry‑stack capacity while removing a proposed on‑site restaurant from an earlier 2023 plan. Planning staff and the Planning Board recommended approval; the Planning Board added a condition that the applicant install two digital radar speed signs in the state right of way on Lewis Road subject to N.C. Department of Transportation approval.

Supporters said the facility would provide additional safe, managed boat storage and local services that reduce pressure on the county’s only mainland state boat ramp. “Parking is a problem everywhere — go to the beach — but I pull up on my app and if it’s all booked I don’t go,” said slip owner Martha Daniel in a public comment describing the marina’s customer management. Other supporters said managed dry stack storage reduces the need to trail boats to the public ramp and could cut water‑based congestion.

Opponents, largely Twin Oaks and Moores Landing residents, said the marina’s expanded dry‑stack operations would increase heavy equipment noise, night lighting and vehicle traffic along the narrow, straight segment of Lewis Road that provides public access to the water. “You don't know the amount of traffic that Quezon Yachts and everybody … brings. The more businesses you have, the more construction traffic, big delivery trucks,” said resident Allison Taylor, who lives on Lewis Road and urged the board to weigh safety and quality‑of‑life impacts.

Planning staff told the board the revised plan reduced the number of new dry‑stack spaces compared with the 2023 proposal, increased on‑site parking and removed the restaurant, changes intended to reduce intensity. Staff also noted the applicant holds the necessary Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) permits for water‑dependent structures; those permits were not in place at earlier submittals.

The board’s approval included the Planning Board’s recommended condition requiring speed‑feedback signs in the DOT right of way and additional conditions limiting on‑site parking to marina customers and specifying lighting and trash control measures. Commissioners discussed noise and environmental monitoring during the meeting; staff said technical reviews and CAMA authority apply to water‑side structures.

Why it matters: the marina sits on one of the county’s limited mainland public water accesses; commissioners emphasized balancing recreational and economic benefits with neighborhood impacts. The Planning Board’s recommended mitigation measures were written into the approval to reduce on‑road and visual impacts and to improve pedestrian access along Lewis Road.

What’s next: the conditional zoning now proceeds to the administrative permitting and building review stages; DOT review is required for installed speed signs and any right‑of‑way work.